RM stops deliveries to Plymouth after dog attack

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Royal Mail stops deliveries to Plymouth street after attack bid by Jack Russell

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ROYAL Mail has banned deliveries to an entire street after reports of a Jack Russell trying to bite a postwoman.

Residents of more than 30 homes have been told to pick up their own letters from the post office due to four-year-old mutt Rusty.

Royal Mail said they suspended deliveries to Newman Road after "a dog attacked a postal worker".

The company has asked Rusty's owners to restrain him at all times because he is an "unacceptable hazard" to staff.


Residents have labelled the ban as "barmy".

Mum-of-four Karen Mitchell, Rusty's owner, said: "They've suspended the post in the whole street over a dog that's smaller than my cat.

"He's actually my five-year-old son's and sleeps in the bed with him.

"He's just a small yappy dog. If the kids open the front door, he runs out. He barks but if you walk towards him he just runs away. He's never bitten anyone."

Police said they have received one report of a Jack Russell attempting to bite a postwoman on Newman Road in Saltash on March 24 – and the street's mail being suspended.

Rusty is one of the family's three dogs. They also own a three-year-old Rottweiler, Mia, and a 12-year-old German shepherd called Molly.

Karen said the action comes after problems with Mia. She had ripped a postman's trousers several months ago, but has since been chained up in their back garden, said Karen.

She added that police and a dog warden visited the house on Thursday and warned them to restrain Rusty as well, or face the animals being taken away.

She received a letter from Royal Mail, dated March 25, stating: "The dog attacked the postman on the 24th of March and we have now suspended deliveries to the whole of Newman Road.

"This exceptional step has been taken in order to safeguard Royal Mail employees."

Karen said she has ordered her four children – Morgan, 11, Kera, nine, Mitch, seven, and Ardie, five – to keep the Jack Russell inside along with the other dogs.

Gordon England, aged 55, of Newman Road, is among residents notified of the suspension by post a week ago. He said: "Royal Mail were able to come and put that letter through the door, but not any normal post.

"I can't believe it's been suspended to the whole street."

Leanne Keith, aged 24, another street resident, said: "It's absolutely ridiculous and the whole street has to suffer because of it. The dogs are not vicious at all. It's barmy.

"We can see the post being delivered to other streets. Why can't they just walk up the road?"

A Royal Mail spokesman said the company takes safety of its employees very seriously, particularly those who deliver mail. He said: "Our main aim is to prevent attacks and to train staff in techniques to help keep them safe. We also need the co-operation of our customers and we encourage the public to take responsibility for keeping their pets under control. The suspension of mail deliveries is a last resort."

[NWpostie]

typical selfish people only caring about themselves.

[clashcityrocker]

I think it should be as the title suggests - stop all deliveries in Plymouth.

[Post Off]

[belle smith]

I have a feeling that Mia and Molly may be the real problem here, that and karen's inability to control her animals.
Along with her blasie attatude, about controling them inspite of the fact that her Rottweiler tryed to savage someone.

[NWpostie]

There was a case of a drug dealing family like that in St Helens Merseyside, who had a blase attitude to their pitbull terrorising everybody in the street until one day it killed a child in their family, daughter of the dealer I think, she was 3 years old I think, apparently the dag ripped her throat out and the head was left hanging on by a flap of skin, some people shouldn't own dogs end of.

[belle smith]

There was a case of a drug dealing family like that in St Helens Merseyside, who had a blase attitude to their pitbull terrorising everybody in the street until one day it killed a child in their family, daughter of the dealer I think, she was 3 years old I think, apparently the dag ripped her throat out and the head was left hanging on by a flap of skin, some people shouldn't own dogs end of.

It's usually the case that the people who shouldn't own dogs, own the potentially most dangerous dogs.

[djc1969]

There was a case of a drug dealing family like that in St Helens Merseyside, who had a blase attitude to their pitbull terrorising everybody in the street until one day it killed a child in their family, daughter of the dealer I think, she was 3 years old I think, apparently the dag ripped her throat out and the head was left hanging on by a flap of skin, some people shouldn't own dogs end of.

some people shouldn't be allowed to breed !

[belle smith]

There was a case of a drug dealing family like that in St Helens Merseyside, who had a blase attitude to their pitbull terrorising everybody in the street until one day it killed a child in their family, daughter of the dealer I think, she was 3 years old I think, apparently the dag ripped her throat out and the head was left hanging on by a flap of skin, some people shouldn't own dogs end of.

some people shouldn't be allowed to breed !

[George door to dawes]

You normally hear the same story after every fatal dog attack. 'The dog was always well behaved and never bit anyone' ... until it savages some poor person.

[stokes11eg]

Hats of to R/M on this one--credit where it is due--it should be standard practice everywhere.

[Darren Bent]

Never like Jack Russell breed. If the little one is snappy, it will rub off to erm Alsation and Rottweiler. Imagine all three attacking at the same time