‘Protect me from dogs’: Mail carriers tell of danger
Postal Service ranks S.A. one of highest in nation for attacks
San Antonio postal worker Joe Valadez was bit on the back of his leg by a dog while walking his daily mail route. He had grown familiar with the dog and believed it was friendly — until it wasn’t.
“You never know what the dog is going to do,” Valadez said. “You can’t trust the dog, and you can’t trust the owner to tell you the truth.”
In another instance, a large dog lunged at Valadez while he was approaching a home, causing him to fall onto his hands and knees in the middle of the street. Before he knew it, a large truck was racing down the
street toward him — it came to a stop just a few feet away.
During his 34 years as a
mailman, Valadez has gotten to know the people he delivers mail to, and part of that is getting to know their dogs.
Among the daily hardships postal workers face — scorching heat, long routes to walk — is defending themselves from dogs. For postal worker Marie Contreras, that’s the top concern.
“Every morning I wake up, come to work and pray to ask to please protect me from dogs,” Contreras said.
Contreras was bitten 16 times by a pit bull. Neighbors armed with shovels rescued Contreras and got her into the safety of their home. She had to get 32 staples and stayed in the hospital for three days.
“It was very traumatic, and that’s why I’m scared, you know. I want to go
home at the end of the day,” Contreras said.
The Postal Service recently released its national dog attack rankings for 2020, reporting that more than 5,800 postal workers in the U.S. were attacked last year.
Cities and states are ranked based on the number of reported attacks. San Antonio came in at No. 9, with 36 reported attacks.
Texas had three cities in the top 10 — Houston was first, with 73 attacks, and Dallas seventh, with 38.
Overall, Texas ranked second, with 402 attacks reported in 2020. With 782 attacks, California was No. 1.
“From nips and bites to vicious attacks, aggressive dog behavior poses a serious threat to postal employees and the general public,” the Postal Service stated in a release.
Jesse Colunga, a postal worker of 17 years, said homeowners will typically tell postal workers that their dogs don’t bite despite their threatening behavior.
“They always say, ‘He doesn’t bite’ — but I always say, ‘He doesn’t bite you,’” Colunga said. “They know their owner. They see us as a threat because we are going into their territory.”
Summer is the worst time for dog attacks, Colunga said, because children are out of school and will often run to the door when mail arrives, leading the family dog to think they are at risk. In addition, Colunga said children playing outside tend to forget to latch the front gate before going inside the house.
This means any dog, including those thought to be friendly, could become a threat to a postal worker, Colunga said.
Low or poorly maintained fences are also a factor.
Postal worker Benjamin Fulton can recall when fences were no match for aggressive dogs.
“Dogs are smart. They know how to climb a fence,” Fulton said. “Just the other week, I had a dog squeeze underneath a fence and attack me. And then my spray wasn’t working, so I jumped the other fence, which had two dogs, but I knew they were friendly.”
Postal workers are equipped with dog repellent, which Fulton said is similar to the pepper spray used on people but with a higher water content.
In another instance, Fulton recalled a metal lock shattering when a German shepherd and a pit bull jumped at the metal gate, causing it to swing open.
“Both my sprays got hooked onto the fence — so I no longer have my spray and the dogs are coming out. One of them grabbed my bag.”
The second dog circled around and bit his shoe off his foot. After fighting with the dogs, Fulton said, he was saved by a few passersby who wrestled with the dogs while he got away.
Colunga said postal workers are always on high alert and planning an escape in the event of an attack.
“We’re always on the swivel looking for dogs under cars. We’re also looking for an escape. Like, if a dog comes out, (I’m thinking) I can probably jump on that car,” Colunga said.
In safety training, postal workers are taught to stand their ground and protect their body by placing an object, such as their mail satchel, between themselves and the dog.
If a postal carrier is concerned about a dog on their mail route, they are encouraged to call 311, San Antonio’s nonemergency hotline, and make a report.
In some circumstances, the Postal Service reserves the right not to deliver mail, said Christina Moreno, customer relations coordinator for the agency.
“We’ll stop mail to the whole block sometimes, especially if there is a very aggressive dog outside,” Moreno said.
The Postal Service will send up to three certified letter warnings to the home where the dog lives, asking that the homeowner restrain it.
After the third letter, if the homeowner hasn’t restrained the dog, the Postal Service has the authority to discontinue mail delivery to the home, said Zaragoza Soliz, acting station manager for the San Antonio Arsenal Post Office.
“They can either get a P.O. box (at the post office) or have their mail forwarded somewhere else,” Soliz said.
Soliz said the Postal Service will add information from carriers about aggressive dogs to its handheld GPS scanners so carriers can be alerted when they get close to a home with an aggressive dog.
Moreno said there are simple steps homeowners can take to prevent attacks.
“If you are going to keep your dog outside, keep your dog away from the mail receptacle,” Moreno said. “If you hear the mailman, give the mailman a chance to walk away, because that’s a lot of times how we get bitten.”
The Postal Service points out that most homeowners know approximately when their carrier will arrive every day and can secure their dogs at that time.
In addition to giving the carrier a head start, Valadez advises homeowners to keep their dog on a sturdy leash when they’re outside and to post a “Beware of dog” sign in front of the home.
“Be responsible, hold your dog, restrain your dog. … Don’t let them just go outside,” Valadez said.