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A postal worker has made an urgent appeal to dog owners after experiencing unsettling encounters with untrained or overly enthusiastic dogs. Taking to social media, the woman – who works for the Royal Mail in the UK – penned an open letter expressing her growing anxiety about potential injuries while on the job.
On Reddit, she voiced her concerns: “I don’t know if I’ve just had a run of bad luck but [the number of] people who are rubbish at controlling their dogs seem to be on the rise on my walk.
“Every day I’m having to ask more people to put their dog away before answering the door, even had a customer call me a weirdo today for saying something about it.” She added: “It’s seriously affecting my ability to enjoy the job as of late, I feel on edge for a lot of my shift.”
Royal Mail has reported over 2,200 postal workers were attacked by pets in the last year, marking a 15% increase in the 12 months leading up to 31 March 2024.
A statement from the company highlighted: “The figure equates to an average of 42 attacks every week across the UK, with some leading to permanent and disabling injuries.”
A significant number of injuries, 389, occurred through letterbox attacks, accounting for 18% of all attacks on postal workers.
A 2020 High Court ruling in the UK addressed this issue, stating that dog owners or caregivers can be held liable if their pets have unrestricted access to the letterbox and cause harm to delivery personnel, regardless of whether the owner is present or not.
In response to the post, a fellow postal worker commented: “Walk away, mark their mail/packets, unsafe dog. And customers, there is no need to [apologise] for making me wait while you shut the dog in the kitchen behind a closed door. It’s appreciated and, thank you.”
Another user shared their experience: “I can understand that. I had a large dog, but he was not able to access the hallway or front door (bad at stairs). He did bark at the front window though. I got a warning letter from RM about keeping my dog under control as they would stop delivering. My dog had been deceased for eight months.”
A third user commented: “A little sticker attached to one of the offending property owners letters letting them know about this, might encourage them to make it safer for their postie. I wasn’t actually aware of the post office policy, but I think it’s a good one.”
Another chimed in with their experience: “I’ve been bitten once, about five or six years ago, on the ankle. It was sore. I’m with you, there definitely seems to be a lot more dogs now than there was when I first started 10 years ago.”
They also shared their approach to dealing with pets: “You will obviously know the company policy on loose dogs on a property but I use my own initiative. Most are fine but its the owners who do my head in. The ones that open the door holding the dog back with a leg or have it by the collar whilst struggling with one hand on the door.”
Reflecting on their own pet ownership, they added: “I had a dog for 17 years. I understand they can be defensive and territorial but why not do what I did when I had a dog and someone was at the door. Put it in the living room or the kitchen and shut the door.
“Property owners need to be aware that its the policy of Royal Mail to see that any dog that bites is put to sleep and the owners prosecuted. Over 1000 posties and delivery persons are bitten each year.”
