Royal Mail threatens to stop deliveries over dog attacks

We don’t have a dog (wild ducks and rabbits visit) but recently a popular delivery company has sent a text message asking for all pets to be shut inside when a delivery was due. Most of our neighbours have well behaved dogs so perhaps our postcode has got a bad name?

Some terrible stories here and I feel for all those affected by dogs ether threatening or biting them. The huge increase in dog ownership during lockdown has really changed society in many ways. I am not sentimental when it comes to dangerous dogs. They may have bitten a man today but tomorrow it might be a small child or baby with tragic results. They should be put down, no exceptions, and the owner banned from keeping any more. The risk is too great I feel.

In 1970 I worked on the post at Christmas! I loved it but I was told in no uncertain terms that I did not deliver to any house where a dog was loose or could be heard at the door! To receive their delivery, the dog owner had to go to the sorting office, without the dog !

Please stop either the ‘rant over’ instruction. You have a point to make, not a rant.

Jaxjacky

Why don’t Royal Mail just do it now instead of pontificating.

Exactly. It's obvious that there is a problem, so just take action now. Our neighbours have a very yappy little dog which they just let outside and pay no attention to whatsoever - and so whenever anyone walks past or is delivering to them, it causes absolute havoc. I don't think it's actually bitten anyone (yet), but I have seen people actually stepping out onto the road because they've got such a fright when it rushes up to the gate yapping it's head off, so it's an accident waiting to happen. And yes, it was bought on a fad during lockdown...

Why don’t Royal Mail just do it now instead of pontificating.

I also worked on the post as a student and it's not as easy as people might think. Out of control dogs are a real problem. It's far from funny.

My son went to deliver a parcel to the neighbours one evening - thankfully without his 2 little boys in tow . The neighbours had just got a new rescue dog - it hit my son on the leg and he was 7 hrs in an A and E a few miles away . Faf to have stitches and antibiotics . The rescue place wouldn’t let the dog be returned until it had a psychological assessment . Poor postman in that area !

We have too many dogs with owners who have little idea what their dogs basic needs are, much less how to meet them. Dogs are dogs, not fur babies, or status symbols.

I have two dogs now but have had three in the past. I’ve found increasingly I avoid some much loved walks because of the number of over stimulated, barky dogs, off lead who run up, no manners around other people, never mind dogs.

Before I retired some 15 years ago now the company I worked for used to send hundreds of statements out to other European countries. Sometimes they would be returned for various reasons eg not at this address etc but a very common one was something like "dog on property". I can't remember if it was preceded by "dangerous" or just said dog, I just remember the stickers with that reason ticked and thinking they should do that in UK. Also, someone mentioned Amazon, Evri etc seem to manage okay. Not true. It didn't happen here, it was in the USA a few years ago, but an Amazon driver was attacked and killed by two dogs when he went to deliver a parcel.

My Dads twin brothers were both postmen many years ago and both were bitten and chased by dogs on numerous occasions. They were required to report to Royal Mail when attacks happened and Royal Mail reported to the police.
On one occasion my uncle after being quite badly bitten by a serial offender dog reported the incident ( in fact he was unable to work for over a week) and the police removed the dog and the dog was put to sleep. The owner, when my Uncle returned to work, beat him up and put him in hospital. Royal Mail did take action against the man. Also he was put on a black list and all his post had to be collected from the sorting office.

Cumbrianmale, the cat I had many moons ago would wait under the hedge by the front gate for our postman, then leap out and go for his legs/trousers. Several times I heard the postman cursing loudly, and on one memorable occasion when I was actually in the front garden when he arrived he told me, "B***er that, I'm not coming in this time, you can come to the gate to get your post!"

Strangely, the cat never did it to anyone else who came through the gate...just the postman! Same cat also buried his toys in the garden - perhaps he thought he was a dog

Crumbly159

Really? Any excuse - and Royal (privatised) Mail have plenty of them - to justify their non-delivery performance joke service.

One multiple delivery in 12 days? But that's actually pretty good by their downhill standards, these days.

Rant over. Thank you.

Really? Any excuse

Privatised or not, I don't think postmen and women should be forced to shove their hands through letterboxes if there's a set of canine teeth waiting behind them, nor be attacked as they walk in people's gardens to reach said letterboxes. surely?

I was volunteering for a charity and got bitten by a terrier when the householder opened the door to me.
By the way, why should people be expected to carry dog treats when delivering to houses? Dog owners can be very assumptive.

Well as we only have a couple of letter deliveries each month if we're lucky. I don't think it'll make much difference aound here.

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Good for them!
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I like most dogs, but think owners should do more to protect postal workers, delivery people and canvassers from attacks. Surely keeping the dog in the back garden, having a mail box on the garden gate, or having a letter box with a tray underneath will largely stop attacks.
OTOH while it must be very rare as cats tend to move away and show no interest in strangers, have there been any attacks by cats on postal workers?

Whitewavemark2

Covid and lockdown was the reason. I remember walking my dog and there was suddenly loads of puppies around.

I noticed that as well. We lived in a village and one of the main footpaths ran past our front door.

I loved walking, even though I do not have a dog, but when I met people they used to look round expectantly and then ask me where my dog was. I was also attacked by two dogs too strong for the person walking them they were muzzled but still maaged t bruise my arm badly.

I am all on the side of the posties. There ought to be an increasing scale of penalties. Three attacks and you have to collect your post from the main post office for a year.

Glad to hear that MawsRosie.

MawsRosie

Amazon, EVRI and the other privately owned couriers seem to cope OK

Well they don’t - they get attacked snd bitten as well but not in such large numbers as they don’t usually put parcels through letterboxes or go to as many houses. Also postal workers are unionised unlike the averag gig economy courier so there’s probably better data on postal workers collected.

Plevey08

Don't they throw them over the fence though 🤣

Not here- I have had no problems

Don't they throw them over the fence though 🤣

Amazon, EVRI and the other privately owned couriers seem to cope OK

This is hardly new. It's been their policy for decades in rural Scotland.

My son delivers for Tesco and always has treats in his pockets for any dogs he meets. The difference is that he visits the same houses regularly and the owners are always there when he arrives.