Dogs, mail carriers in metro area often tangle

The weather was finally warmer, and Gary Porter was walking his postal route through Whitehall.

As he headed for a porch mailbox, he noticed that the door of the house was open — the residents were enjoying the warm day, too.

Seconds later, Porter was attacked by two dogs, both boxer-Rottweiler mixes.

“The owners ran out and tried to control (the dogs), but they were unsuccessful,” said Porter, 52, a U.S. Postal Service carrier for 17 years. “It was just very frightening.”

Porter has been off work since the incident on April 9 and doesn’t expect to return until June. His right elbow was

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so severely bitten that he is undergoing therapy to regain the use of his right hand.

He said he has pressed charges against the dog’s owners.

Last year saw 39 attacks on mail carriers in Columbus’ postal-delivery area, according to a report released by the Postal Service yesterday.

Of the 30 delivery areas with the most bites nationwide, Cleveland ranked third with 58 attacks, Columbus ranked ninth and Cincinnati was tied for 16th with 26.

Houston logged the most bites last year with 63. The numbers were not adjusted for population.

David Van Allen, a regional spokesman for the Postal Service, said he couldn’t say why dog attacks are higher in some places than others.

He pointed out that residents shouldn’t take their dogs’ demeanor for granted and should always make sure that the animals are restrained.

“If a carrier is attacked, even without being bitten, we may have to curtail delivery at that address,” he said. “If a dog is running loose in the street, it may affect delivery on that whole street.”

He wouldn’t say how often delivery is affected by dog attacks or dogs running loose, saying only that the Postal Service “has a policy of putting safety as a priority.”

The most attacks in the Columbus postal district occur in Whitehall and in neighborhoods that include Italian Village, the University District and South Linden, Van Allen said.

Last year, Columbus Public Health took reports of 1,222 animal bites, with 1,032 involving dogs, said Jose Rodriguez, the department’s spokesman.

Nationally, 5,581 postal employees were attacked last year, according to the Postal Service, which released the numbers in advance of National Dog Bite Prevention Week, starting Sunday.

Among the precautions recommended by the Postal Service:

If mail carriers deliver to your door, place your dog in a room away from the door.

Remind your children to keep your dog secured.

Children should not take mail from a carrier in front of the dog, since the dog might interpret the interaction as a threat to the child.