Dog bite through letter box

[TrueBlueTerrier]

I've had a laminated card posted through my door today with this posting peg idea. Can someone tell me what it is about and if it requires me to take any action. My dog is 9 years old, during those 9 years right up until the current person who delivers our post every single postman/woman has loved seeing our dog, it has never bitten anyone or anything other than a squeeky toy but now the post lady stands at the gate and shrieks for help and complains when the dog is outside, this action alone confuses the dog because it is so out of character he is never ever outside unattended and is quite clearly not vicious, it seems on here that you collectively think all dogs are vicious, is that not a problem that really needs to be addressed on individual merit?

If she is new she won't know the dog and therefore can't make judgement based on merit.

There is no dog that is obviously not vicious - I have been bitten by a dog that used to go to heel when I entered the property - I still have no idea why they turned nasty - I knew that dog.

Not all dogs are vicious - but all dogs are capable of biting when they feel threatened, my family had to destroy a dog which turned in an instant and bit a family member.

Also as a customer you have to appreciate that current guidance from Royal Mail is that if there is ANY dog lose at a property then we should NOT enter. If we do, and are subsequently bitten we will be deemed as blameworthy. She is therefore doing the right thing. Have you tried to introduce her to the dog, have you talked to her perhaps she has had a bad experience with a dog and is nervous round them.

As a postie I would say try to keep your dog away from the entrance to your property until the post has been delivered, also if your dog gets excited when the post comes and runs towards the letterbox it might be worth getting a cage.

This postie knew the dog that scarred him for life.



Perhaps when you hear that since 2006 there have been over 24,000 reported dog attacks against Royal Mail personnel, that's an average of 4000 a year or 75 a week, you'll understand why we can be nervous or cautious round unknown dogs, and even dogs we know.

[fishtank]

The card was not meant to go through your door it is simply a warning card for the postman to be careful.
We don't think that all dogs are vicious,just that all are a potential risk and since we don't know your dog we should do everything possible to avoid that risk.
How could we asses that risk individually...with every dog...and every potential delivery officer...under every conceivable circumstance?

[analogsynthman]

Any dog bites my finger and it gets an upholstery boyonet to chew on the next time.
Job or no job,
This company need to get their act together, our posties shouldn't be putting mail through doors anyway.
Just about every other country i know of have mail boxes.

And those plastic pegs!! They're having a laugh.

[junior1]

Well said trueblueterrier.
Most customers think its funny that their dog attacks the post.
My sympathy goes out to the poor postman who lost part of his finger.

[andygoudge]

How successfull is the posting peg. I can see how it would prevent injury to hands caused by dogs but it looks to me that it would be difficult to use if the letterbox were to be fitted with a draught excluding device.

[Himaggen]

now the post lady stands at the gate and shrieks for help and complains when the dog is outside
<snip />
it seems on here that you collectively think all dogs are vicious, is that not a problem that really needs to be addressed on individual merit?

The instruction is, "It doesn't matter if you know the dog or not, if it is out you must not enter". This is a health and safety directive, failure to ignore this dirctive is technically misconduct and can result in dismissal.

What do you want me to do, when I get caught entering your property during your dogs 'outside time', when I trip over its squeaky toy or the dog playfully crosses my path causing me to fall and injure myself? It hasn't bitten me, and your statement about your dog not biting is still true however I've lost my job. I can just see it now, Christmas 2013, "Daddy how come Bobby down the road got a bike and cousin Katie got an iPad"? "Sorry son, I wanted to get you something special, but because I broke the rules at work…"

it looks to me that it would be difficult to use if the letterbox were to be fitted with a draught excluding device.

Not only should every single postman be carrying one of these at all times, they should also have used one in that scenario even if it was just during the training in their correct use!

[Rudolph_Hucker]

I don't know if this should be on a separate thread, if so please start one up mods.

I have been attacked TWICE by the same animal, how b....y stupid are you? I hear you all shout. Here's the story ...

A couple of months ago doing my normal round I pushed a letter through a box in a PVC door. My hand was not inside the inner flap but in between both flaps, trying to get the letter out of sight.

I didn't hear a thing, everything was quite, all rosy. Suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my hand as though I'd caught it on a sharp nail in the letter box. I pulled my hand out sharply and blood was pouring out of two gashes about an inch and half long on 2 fingers, blood was everywhere, dripping initially over mail, my clothes etc. It was confusing, how could I have done that. Then it dawned on me, I had been attacked by a cat!

So, straight back to the office to get some plasters (On a town round so only 5 minutes away) informed the powers and was told I should not put my fingers through the box and I should use a posty peg. My reply was "Well therefore, I should use one on every single letter, as you will never ever know what could be behind the door!" The boss walked away, that was the end of the conversation. I got a couple of plasters on and back out.

I told everybody about it and where it happened and to be careful.

Last week I'm out on the round again, come to the house totally aware of what lurks behind the door, start to push an A4 size letter through lengthways, so the letter had opened up the inner flap and my hand was still on the outside, when suddenly both of the cats paws come through the box with one of them of catching my right hand. It used its right one to hang on to the outside and its left one to attack me. I must have been a good 2 to 3 inches away from the letter box. It drew blood but nothing like the original attack, I was lucky as I'd seen the paws coming out, so my reactions saved me from another nasty attack.

So, what please can be done about instances like this? I fully accept this very unusual but what can be done about this?

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Report it again to management - exactly as described on here - You'll probably get a mention in the press but these Devil Cats are the worst, but the bosses should suspend deliveries until the residents put a box on the wall. Also get you H&S rep involved and take a picture on your phone of the injuries.

[motch]

When we were having to write down the dogs on our walks one guy didn't write down some of them (I assumed he thought if they were friendly it didn't count,or perhaps the owner might get into trouble somehow) I quizzed him about 1 address in particular where the dog used to take a flying jump at the letters and snap his jaws hard as he could onto the post (a bulldog) when I said it could take a finger off he dismissed it all saying it's a friendly dog (which it is, just loves snapping at the letters)

[NWpostie]

I don't know if this should be on a separate thread, if so please start one up mods.

I have been attacked TWICE by the same animal, how b....y stupid are you? I hear you all shout. Here's the story ...

A couple of months ago doing my normal round I pushed a letter through a box in a PVC door. My hand was not inside the inner flap but in between both flaps, trying to get the letter out of sight.

I didn't hear a thing, everything was quite, all rosy. Suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my hand as though I'd caught it on a sharp nail in the letter box. I pulled my hand out sharply and blood was pouring out of two gashes about an inch and half long on 2 fingers, blood was everywhere, dripping initially over mail, my clothes etc. It was confusing, how could I have done that. Then it dawned on me, I had been attacked by a cat!

So, straight back to the office to get some plasters (On a town round so only 5 minutes away) informed the powers and was told I should not put my fingers through the box and I should use a posty peg. My reply was "Well therefore, I should use one on every single letter, as you will never ever know what could be behind the door!" The boss walked away, that was the end of the conversation. I got a couple of plasters on and back out.

I told everybody about it and where it happened and to be careful.

Last week I'm out on the round again, come to the house totally aware of what lurks behind the door, start to push an A4 size letter through lengthways, so the letter had opened up the inner flap and my hand was still on the outside, when suddenly both of the cats paws come through the box with one of them of catching my right hand. It used its right one to hang on to the outside and its left one to attack me. I must have been a good 2 to 3 inches away from the letter box. It drew blood but nothing like the original attack, I was lucky as I'd seen the paws coming out, so my reactions saved me from another nasty attack.

So, what please can be done about instances like this? I fully accept this very unusual but what can be done about this?

I would slam the flap on the cat's paws after so long it will learn that paws outside box equals pain, it will stop.

[Rudolph_Hucker]

I don't know if this should be on a separate thread, if so please start one up mods.

I have been attacked TWICE by the same animal, how b....y stupid are you? I hear you all shout. Here's the story ...

A couple of months ago doing my normal round I pushed a letter through a box in a PVC door. My hand was not inside the inner flap but in between both flaps, trying to get the letter out of sight.

I didn't hear a thing, everything was quite, all rosy. Suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my hand as though I'd caught it on a sharp nail in the letter box. I pulled my hand out sharply and blood was pouring out of two gashes about an inch and half long on 2 fingers, blood was everywhere, dripping initially over mail, my clothes etc. It was confusing, how could I have done that. Then it dawned on me, I had been attacked by a cat!

So, straight back to the office to get some plasters (On a town round so only 5 minutes away) informed the powers and was told I should not put my fingers through the box and I should use a posty peg. My reply was "Well therefore, I should use one on every single letter, as you will never ever know what could be behind the door!" The boss walked away, that was the end of the conversation. I got a couple of plasters on and back out.

I told everybody about it and where it happened and to be careful.

Last week I'm out on the round again, come to the house totally aware of what lurks behind the door, start to push an A4 size letter through lengthways, so the letter had opened up the inner flap and my hand was still on the outside, when suddenly both of the cats paws come through the box with one of them of catching my right hand. It used its right one to hang on to the outside and its left one to attack me. I must have been a good 2 to 3 inches away from the letter box. It drew blood but nothing like the original attack, I was lucky as I'd seen the paws coming out, so my reactions saved me from another nasty attack.

So, what please can be done about instances like this? I fully accept this very unusual but what can be done about this?

I would slam the flap on the cat's paws after so long it will learn that paws outside box equals pain, it will stop.

That did cross my mind, trust me. The cats legs were out far enough I could have punched down on one and broken it but I'm an animal lover and could never do it.

[motch]

reminds me, I had a cat a few years back, it was laying on my chest, I went to get up and the cat dug it's claws in and a claw went right through my skin near my colarbone and out again, f**k me that hurt, I had to grap the cats paw as it was trying to pull its paw back, and then desperately grap the claw and take it out of my skin. Cat wasn't too happy but it was ok.

[blackadder]

far as i know u allowed to walk to the door without a dog looking out for u unless theres a postbox on the gate. as u said the dog was inside the house and u posted the mail using your hand. your fingers were inside the property and mr dog has a right to have a nibble on your fingers. soz mate, carry the peg with ya

[NWpostie]

far as i know u allowed to walk to the door without a dog looking out for u unless theres a postbox on the gate. as u said the dog was inside the house and u posted the mail using your hand. your fingers were inside the property and mr dog has a right to have a nibble on your fingers. soz mate, carry the peg with ya

and lace the peg with extra extra habanero hot chilli sauce, that'll learn 'em !

[arnold cheshire]

If they really want to reduce bites then they need to train US on how to recognise a potential danger and how to take steps to avoid it.[/qu
Personally if i know there is a big hairy set of teeth behind the door

a big hairy set of teeth? ive never seen hairy teeth