Killer Dogs Bit Man 100 Times, FL Officials Search For Canines

LAKE PLACID, FL — Florida animal officials are examining six stray dogs to determine if any of them are responsible for a grisly attack on 45-year-old Melvin Olds Jr., whose body was found on July 4 with more than 100 dog bites in this central Florida community of about 2,400.

"We have captured six dogs but are awaiting DNA tests to see if they were the ones involved," Richard Dressel of the Highlands County Sheriff's Office told Patch on Tuesday. "If they were, then they will ... most likely be euthanized."

News of the attack has left Floridians like South Florida bartender Alyssa Collins feeling anxious about her own safety.

Her Jack Russell Terrier, "Harley," was attacked and killed in her backyard last year by a pack of stray dogs, but Miami-Dade County Animal Services has thus far been ineffective in resolving the problem, according to Collins.

SEE ALSO: Wild Dogs Threaten Miami-Dade Pets Amid Rabies Fear

"People wouldn't stop feeding [the strays] so it made it impossible to catch the dogs," Collins told Patch. "I'm hoping with everyone's help we can get some laws changed on feeding strays."

Since dogs are considered domestic wildlife in Florida, they do not fall under the purview of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, according to the agency's Carol Lyn Parrish. She said that Floridians who have a problem with aggressive wild dogs should contact their local animal control agency.

"Our hearts truly go out to the victim involved in this incident," Parrish said of the Lake Placid attack. "The Highland's County Sheriff's Office is leading this investigation, but we have provided input."

Dressel said Florida law does not address people who feed dogs. "There is no law against feeding stray dogs," he explained. "There is a law about feeding feral cats, but it is only applicable if you are doing it on someone else's property. There's no law about feeding dogs and cats on your own property."

In the case of Olds, the autopsy suggests that his death was likely caused by a dog attack, according to the sheriff's office.

"Final determination will be made after toxicology reports are completed, which typically takes many weeks, but no wounds other than those caused by dogs were found on Olds’ body during an autopsy today," the sheriff's office said on July 5. "More than 100 dog bites were found on his body."

Olds was found in a wooded area behind a home on Cochran Drive in the Highway Park neighborhood south of Lake Placid shortly before noon on July 4. He had been last seen alive a few hours earlier.

"Highlands County Sheriff’s Office Animal Services officers have set traps in the area and Animal Services units have been patrolling the area today looking for loose dogs who may have been involved in the attack," Dressel told Patch.

The Highlands County Sheriff's Office is asking anyone who spots a stray dog in the area where Olds was attacked to avoid contact with the animal and call the agency at 863-402-7200.

In Collins' neighborhood near Miami, she said she has placed tracking collars on her dogs in case they ever get out. She has also installed cameras outside her home, shored up her fence and now avoids walking her dogs at all.

"Our neighborhood is too dangerous," she confided. "It's constant fear."