Owners urged to keep dogs under control after 'traumatic' attacks on Omagh postmen

[TrueBlueTerrier]

https://www.tyronecon.co.uk/news/2023/0 ... men-44683/

Saturday 1 July 2023 14:00
OWNERS are being urged to keep their dogs under control after postmen sustained injuries in two separate dog attacks in the Omagh area.

The attacks, which occurred locally last week, saw two local postmen requiring hospital treatment, along with disruptions to local mail deliveries.

One of the incidents, which occurred on Friday in the Mullaghmore area, saw a dog "clearing" its fenced enclosure and attacking a postman on the street.

This followed a separate attack on a postman the previous day in the Killyclogher area, in an incident that was described as a "very traumatic" ordeal that will leave "permanent scarring" for the victim.

Sean Heekin, customer operations manager at the Royal Mail Omagh Delivery Office, said that postal workers interact with dogs every day, and each one can present a potential risk to workers.

"Last week in Omagh we had two dog attacks in two days resulting in injuries to our workers that required hospital treatment," he said. "In one instance the postman was out in the street when a dog cleared its fenced enclosure and attacked the postman in the street.

"Both were very traumatic for the workers involved, and will leave permanent scarring. There has also been the impact on deliveries in local areas, as naturally this would have delayed some peoples mail."

Following the attacks, Sean is urging dog owners to be aware of the dangers posed by dogs on their property, which can impact a member of staff from undertaking their work safely.

"Our ask to dog owners is that they keep their dogs secured when our workers are at their address," he said. "Most dog owners are convinced that ‘our dog would not touch anybody’, but when strangers are about peoples property, or when children are off school for example in the summer holidays, or particularly during the extreme temperatures we have seen over the last number of weeks, dogs can react differently and more aggressively than usual.

"If people have dogs that are loose on their premises, for example at rural addresses, we would ask people to please consider a post box or parcel box at the end of the lane to their premises, to reduce the risk of dog attacks.

"Whilst traumatic for the workers involved, there can also be consequences for dog owners who do not look after their animals responsibly, so for all parties involved we would encourage customers to be aware of the dangers posed by dogs at their property, and to spare a thought for your local postman or woman going about their work safely."

West Tyrone MLA., Tom Buchanan, has condemned the attacks, and has echoed a call to owners to keep their dogs under control.

“I am concerned to hear of these two separate dog attacks, which would have undoubtedly been very traumatic for the postmen involved,” he said. “It is unacceptable that postmen cannot go about their jobs in peace. The onus is very much on dog owners to ensure their pets are properly trained, or are in an appropriate environment where they cannot attack passers-by such as postmen.

“Dog owners need to take responsibility for their pets, and if there is a tendency in their dog to get alerted by a stranger, that must keep them under control.

“I wish the postmen who have been attacked a speedy recovery, and I hope these incidents helps to emphasise just how important it is that dogs are kept responsibly."