Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Plea to dog owners after postie attacks
POSTIES across Dundee have been subjected to 30 dog attacks during mail deliveries over the past two years, the latest figures reveal.
New statistics from the Communications Workers’ Union (CWU) shows 15 postmen in 2018/19 were attacked by a dog in the DD postcode area, followed by a further 15 attacks in 2019/20.
This included six posties based at the Dundee East delivery office, eight in Dundee West and four from Dundee Central.
Elsewhere there were seven attacks in Arbroath, one in Brechin, three in Kirriemuir and one in Montrose.
The only delivery office in the DD area to not record any dog attacks in the past two years was Forfar.
As the CWU marks dog awareness week from today until Saturday, they are now asking dog owners across Tayside to make sure they keep their dogs under control when the postie delivers their mail, as on average 83% of all dog attacks happen in a garden or at a person’s front door.
Dave Joyce, safety and environment officer at the union, said: “The whole idea of dog awareness week is to highlight the problem and the repercussions for dog owners and the victims, many of whom are seriously injured.
“As our members deliver more parcels, packets, express, tracked and signed-for deliveries, as a result of booming internet sales, during the coronavirus pandemic they still face dog hazards.
“We want dog owners to simply control and contain their animals when the postman or postwoman calls.
“Some customers are sadly failing in their responsibility to postal workers. We want people to simply take a minute to think about securing their dogs in a safe place before opening the door.”
Dave added: “For those who act irresponsibly, we need the police and courts to clamp down on bad ownership, using the full force of the law to hold these people to account for the devastating, life-changing injuries they cause to postmen and women, which continues to be all too familiar.
“Dog owners need to full understand that their actions usually are the cause of a dog being dangerous and simple precautions can prevent the pain for everyone concerned.
“There are tough court penalties and a criminal record for irresponsible dog owners including prison and unlimited fines so it’s in their best interest in more ways than one to make sure the dog doesn’t bite the postman or postwoman.”