Related Articles
A Royal Mail worker has made an impassioned appeal to dog owners after numerous unsettling encounters with untrained or overly animated canines.
Posting an open letter on Reddit, she described her growing trepidation about delivering mail due to the fear of being bitten by dogs.
On Reddit, she explained: “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 revealed that over 2,200 postal workers were attacked by dogs in the last year, indicating a 15% spike compared to the preceding twelve months leading up to 31 March 2024. The organisation issued a statement stating: “The figure equates to an average of 42 attacks every week across the UK, with some leading to permanent and disabling injuries.”
The locations with the highest risk of postmen and women suffering dog attacks are the PO (Portsmouth) and BT (Belfast) postcode areas, where there have been 62 incidents in both.
They’re closely followed by the BS (Bristol) and BN (Brighton) postcode areas with 48 attacks, and the third most hazardous area being the PL (Plymouth) postcode area with 44.
Out of all the attacks, 389 injuries occurred through the letterbox, making up 18% of the assaults on postal workers. A significant 2020 High Court ruling established that dog owners can face prosecution if their pets have access to an open letterbox and injure any delivery operative, regardless of whether the owner is present.
One fellow postal worker advised on social media: “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.”
Sharing their experience, another individual commented: “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 suggested: “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 user shared 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.”
A postal worker chimed in: “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.”
A dog owner of 17 years offered a solution: “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.”
