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When Cuddly Turns Ugly: Preventing Dog Bites

Dog Attacks

Working Drone
DoD
Thu May 21, 2009 9:35 AM

Post Reply

My sister is a mail carrier and has been bitten by dogs several times. She always carries Mace and doesn't hesitate to use it after having to have stitches when a dog ran out of a house and bit her. One household refused to restrain their dog despite her repeated requests. It was overly aggressive and tried to bite her numerous times.

The Post Master issued a warning to the dog's owners that their mail would no longer be delivered to their house until something was done about the dog. The owners thought he was bluffing. He wasn't. They had to go to the Post Office to get their mail until they put up a fenced-in area for the dog.

Re: Dog Attacks

analyst
DOD
Tue May 26, 2009 1:04 PM
I can't always guarantee my own behavior let alone that of someone else. My dogs were sweeties. I've introduced them to the FedEx & UPS drivers as well as my fantastic rural postal carrier BUT I emphasize if they feel threatened, don't get out. My sweeties are a golden retreiver, mini-dachshund & beagle; dogs not know for agressive behavior.

Dogs

Engineer
VA
Thu May 21, 2009 9:45 AM

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I spent some summers in college working as a casual for the USPS. We were told by our supervisors to never deliver mail if you feel threatened by a situation, including dogs. There were several times where I brought mail for a house back because of an unrestrained dog in a yard, behind a door, or other place that might give him access to me. I'd also ask owners to restrain their dogs if they want their mail, most kindy complied, but I was cursed at once, only to have the same dog rip the mail out of my hand through a mailslot the next day.

Not all dogs are violent-there were times where a dog would lie there mellow and pay no mind to me, in which case there was no issue. But I wasn't the regular carrier on any route I did, so most dogs came off as threats, since I didn't know them. For the sake of your mailman, remember that your dog is still an animal and can still be unpredictable. Just because he's never bitten a family member or friend does not mean he won't bite a stranger.

Re: Dogs

BMEU
USPS
Thu May 21, 2009 1:43 PM
People often wonder why postal workers are such a peculiar breed. We have our own contributions to the English language (going postal), we are an evergreen source of comedy gold for the late night hosts, everybody seem to have a humorous and/or negative anecdote about their dealings with us. That's ok, we are not a particularly thin-skinned lot. What DOES get us down is the cavalier attitude we encounter regarding dogs & dog bites. It's an extremely serious problem that is continually dismissed out of hand by people who should know better...

Re: Dogs

Working Drone
DoD
Fri May 22, 2009 9:54 AM
BMEU USPS, my sister frequently gets told "little Barky is a good dog; he'd never bite anybody." Meanwhile, little Barky is growling, frothing at the mouth, and yanking on his chain trying to get at her.

In addition to dogs, she gets confronted by men who come to the door naked or expose themselves through the mail slot in their front door. I had no idea so many weirdos and pervs live in our hometown until she started telling me stories about them.

Back Away

Dog Owner
DOD
Fri May 22, 2009 7:10 AM

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If you see my dog give you the evil eye, back away, mace it, report it. When I get home, I'll kill it. Then I'll bring home an elephant to guard my yard. Seriously, no beast is worth the life, or welfare, of any child, grandmother, or gentle postal carrier. We always give our mailman a treat, I mean holiday gift, every December because we like you!

Dog vs. letter carrier

Thorn in the Side
DOD
Fri May 22, 2009 12:18 PM

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I've been told that if you familiarize the dog with the letter carrier, there is a lot less chance of a bite. That means holding the dog and letting it shake paws with the carrier (so to speak), and providing the carrier with treats to slip the dog for a while. Worth a try.

Pit Bulls

Retired
Retired
Sat May 23, 2009 9:36 AM

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Worst of all is the Pit Bull. The dog has a built in danger factor, but worse yet is that the majority are owned by irresponsible people. The kind of people who do not have their own life under control, much less their dog's life.

Always guilty!!!

The worst of all is that you are always guilty
USPS
Mon Jun 15, 2009 11:04 AM

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What sucks about all this is that it doesn't manner all the stadistics regarding dog bittes. According to the USPS the carrier is always guilty, you were suppose to prevent this incident. You were suppose to know what was going to happend. It was your fault, you did it intentionally to miss work and stay home with a couple of stichess. It is a shame but the USPS sucks as an Employer.

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