The wife of a woman killed in a dog attack at an shelter in Oakland Park is mourning her loss as the animal rescue community is in shock over the tragedy.
Pam Robb was working with the dog at 100+ Abandoned Dogs of Everglades Florida Thursday morning when authorities said it "snapped" and attacked her and another woman.
Robb, a volunteer at the facility, was rushed to a local hospital where she died. The other woman, identified as Jan Halas Stenger, was also hospitalized with minor injuries.
"She was a shining light to all she touched," Robb's wife of five years, Angie Anobile, said Friday. "I am numb, but I know she is holding me up."
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What makes it especially tragic is Robb loved working with rescues, Anobile said.
“You touched everyone you met, you were loved by all. Your heart was as big as the Grand Canyon," Anobile said of Robb.
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Broward County Animal Care officials said the dog, described as a large mixed breed 3-year-old named Gladys, was humanely euthanized.
The deadly attack has sent shockwaves through the tight-knit animal rescue community in South Florida.
"Very upsetting. She was obviously doing something she loved by looking after animals. And yeah it’s just very sad," said Caroline Gannon, a former volunteer with Good Karma Pet Rescue.
Tammi Wray, who works two doors down from the facility, at United Animal Rescue, said the community is trying to cope with the tragedy.
"We all know each other. We all work together and it’s just tragic," Wray said.
Wray said many who do the type of work they do face danger.
"Unfortunately, some dogs come from such a background that sometimes rehabilitation isn’t possible. They’re just not trusting and unfortunately they can turn on you, and this kind of tragedy happens," she said. "I have been injured. I have had situations where I was injured and I was bit. I have not had this kind of thing happen."
The 100+ Abandoned Dogs of Everglades Florida organization was founded in 2011 and their mission is to rescue dogs that have been neglected or abused and bring them back to health.
Linda Decurzio volunteered with the organization many years ago and still follows them closely on Facebook. She said she'd never heard of a dog attack at the facility.
"I'm so shocked, and I'm very upset, and I don't know what else to say," she said. "They take such great care of these dogs, they are wonderful with these dogs and how something like this could happen, it is unbelievable because they take such wonderful care of these dogs."
