A Decatur County woman was viciously mauled by a pack of dogs early Tuesday morning while walking down Johnny Skipper Road off Tallahassee Highway.

At approximately 8 a.m. a truck driver traveling down Johnny Skipper Road called police when he witnessed a woman in her 70s, Joanne Johns, being attacked by a number of dogs. Decatur County Sheriff’s deputies, Bainbridge Public Safety officers and EMS responded to the call.

The attack occurred in front of 128 Johnny Skipper Road, but neighbors said the dogs lived a few houses down at 138 Johnny Skipper Road.

A neighbor, Patricia Dixon, said she looked out her window and saw the truck driver pull up and the large group of dogs pulling back and forth at what turned out to be the woman.

Dixon said the dogs commonly leave the owners property and she had previously reported them to police. She said she believes the Johns lives at the Glen Oaks Motel at 1744 Tallahassee Hwy. and frequently walks down the road.

EMS requested an emergency medical helicopter land at nearby Trinity Baptist Church to take Johns to Tallahassee for treatment, but weather conditions were too bad for the helicopter to assist. Johns was taken to Memorial Hospital in Bainbridge before being transferred to another facility for care.

Officers were able to take a picture of the six or seven dogs that were involved in the attack. Bainbridge Animal Control along with law enforcement officers worked to coral the more than 20 dogs loose in the area back into the fenced-in yard, but many animals were able to escape over the back fence of the property.

Officers scoured the area to put down the animals involved in the attack at the request of the health department so they can be checked for rabies, said Chief Deputy Jim Morris.