Leeds dog owners Royal Mail letter anger

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Dog owners in Leeds have received warning letters from Royal Mail about the behaviour of their pets.

Royal Mail’s delivery office in Sheepscar is thought to have sent out hundreds of ‘advice’ letters after a postman was attacked by an eight-stone bull mastiff.

In the letter, delivery office manager Paul Bottomley says his “aim is to identify where any real hazards or risks to the ongoing delivery of your mail exist, and to determine the most appropriate course of corrective action.”

But Judith Dunderdale told the YEP her postman had never experienced any problems with her dog and described Royal Mail’s letter as “patronising” .

Judith, who lives in Meanwood with her seven-year-old rescue dog Bailey, said: “The letter starts by saying ‘while we’ve been delivering your post, we’ve become aware of a dog which is giving us some concerns’.

“This makes it sound personal and that it’s my dog who’s the problem. I know a lot of elderly people who are worried now.

“When I called the delivery office, the man on the phone said that the office had a list of all residents with dogs and this letter had gone out to them all.”

The letter, which has been seen by the YEP, suggests dog owners work with Royal Mail to ensure “daily deliveries” are still provided with “no potential threat” to the safety of staff.

Behaviour listed as causing concern includes dogs growling, roaming around properties and ‘snapping’ at letter boxes.

The letter goes on to ask owners to consider restraining dogs or having post delivered to “an alternative place...away from your pet’s usual surroundings.”

Owners are then urged to call the office to “agree whether there are simple steps” that can be taken for the safety of staff.

The letter ends by saying that if no contact is made, a “formal assessment” may be carried out if there is a “significant threat”.

Judith added: “Postmen obviously have a right to do their jobs safely but this letter just seems very over the top.

“It’s patronising and could be seen as threatening. It’s criminalising dogs and owners before anything has even happened.”

Royal Mail spokeswoman Morag Turnbull said: “The safety of our employees is of paramount importance to Royal Mail.

“There are 4,000 dog attacks a year on Royal Mail staff and in the Sheepscar area there has been 11 dog attacks in the last year. Last month, a postman from Sheepscar was attacked by an eight-stone bull mastiff and sustained injuries and time off work.

“Our main aim is to prevent attacks. If we feel that there is a risk from a dog, or any other animal, we are committed to working with the customer to agree simple steps to ensure that we can deliver the mail safely.

“This letter is simply to raise awareness of the issues our people experience with dog attacks and to work with our customers on this matter.”