John and Michelle Pollard say Jacko is unable to run - but the Royal Mail say the postie was acting in self-defence
A couple have demanded an apology from the Royal Mail after their arthritic dog was allegedly kicked in the head by a postman.
John and Michelle Pollard claim the postie “assaulted” their rescue bulldog Jacko after he went to “greet” him on the driveway of their Consett home.
A letter sent from the Royal Mail to the couple claimed the postman was “acting in self-defence” after Jacko “ran at him in an aggressive manner”.
They also confirmed an investigation was ongoing.
But the pair say 10-year-old Jacko has advanced arthritis in both hips and knees and is unable to run.
John, 46, said: “We are always hearing about attacks on Royal Mail staff by dogs, which is right and proper.
“But when their staff do not follow their protocol for dealing with dogs and just kick out at them nothing is said.”
The incident is said to have happened earlier this month as Michelle was leaving the house to take their three rescue bulldogs for a walk.
John said: “She was untangling the leads and accidentally dropped Jacko’s lead.
“He spotted the postman walking down the path and took off down, barking, to greet him.
“When he got to the end of the drive the postman took two steps and kicked him in the head.
“Jacko turned on his heel and ran back to Michelle for comfort.
“When she asked the postman if kicking an animal was part of Royal Mail training when dealing with dogs, he apologised and said the procedure was to place his mail bag between him and the dog.”
The couple have since written to the Royal Mail demanding an apology for the incident.
A response from the company said the postman was acting in self-defence after Jacko “went to attack” him.
The letter read: “He said the dog pulled from its lead and escaped your grasp and ran at him in an aggressive manner. He had no doubt the dog intended to bite him.
“I think the root cause of this is the dogs escaping your attention. If the dog had been kept under control the attack and kick would not have happened.
“I understand that you’re likely to regard your dog as a harmless pet but I hope you also appreciate that animals often behave differently around strangers.
“The vast majority of dogs cause us no problems at all but the reality is that 4,000 dog-related injuries are sustained by our people each year.”
John believes the response was “one-sided”, adding: “Jacko has advanced arthritis in both hips and knees - he can’t even walk on hard surfaces, let alone run.
“We rescued him two years ago when he was found on the streets - he’s had a massively hard life and we’ve finally got him to a place where he loves people.
“I just want an apology from them and assurance that they’ll properly investigate this case.”
A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “Royal Mail has investigated this incident and is responding directly to the customer to answer here concerns.
“We do not condone attacks on any animal by our delivery postmen and women but dog attacks or the threat of attack are a serious issue, with seven postmen and women on average being attacked every day across the UK.
“In this case the postman was frightened by the dog’s behaviour and he will receive further training on how to deal with aggressive animals.
“We will also be delivering to the external post box fitted by the customer.”
