Postman attacked by dog - but still completes his round

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A Lincoln postman who was attacked by a dog, but completed his rounds, says he hasn't let it put him off his duties.

Tim Smith was delivering post to a house on West Parade he had visited many times before when he was bitten by a dog.

But the diligent 49-year-old soldiered on and completed his rounds before heading to the doctors to assess the damage.

It comes after the Royal Mail revealed there had been around 25 dog attacks on postmen and women in the LN postcode area between April 2015 and 2016.

Mr Smith, of Lincoln, told the Echo: "This dog just came so quick and bit me on the thigh. It broke the skin.

"I didn't even see the dog it came out so quickly and went back in again.

"Normally most dog owners put their dog into another room before they open the door so it's safe and out of the way.

"I knew that particular house and that's what they normally do."

But on this occasion the door opened and Mr Smith was greeted by someone he didn't recognise.

"The owners obviously hadn't told that person the dog needed to be put away before they answered the door," he said.

"I don't think the man thought anything of it but certainly when the owners came through they were quite horrified."

Mr Smith added: "It was a really big bruise. But often dogs have a couple of pointed teeth and one of the lower teeth punctured my skin.

"It almost felt like he was nipping me rather than taking a chunk out of me. It was certainly sore for a few days afterwards.

"It was more the shock than anything else.

"I was literally just a foot away from the door there was no way I could have got out of the way of the dog.

"I know some people do get bitten so seriously they have to be hospitalised. It's a very, very real danger."

Mr Smith said he felt completely supported by the Royal Mail which gives its staff advice about how to deal with dogs at the homes they visit.

Staff are reassured that if they don't feel comfortable about delivering mail to a home because of a dog they can return again the next day, and the company can give the home owners a call to discuss it.

But Mr Smith dog owners could be given more advice.

He said: "We're given guidelines about what to do with dogs. We have a lot of information and advice given to us but I don't know if there's as much advice given to dog owners about what to do when someone knocks at the door.

"I think that would be a good way of doing it putting the onus on the owners about what they do when someone comes to the door."

Since the attack the family took further precautions to make sure the dog was out of the way and fitted a box around the door to stop the dog from getting close.

Mr Smith said: "They're perfectly responsible dog owners, that's why when the police rang me I didn't want it to go further. It was just bad luck.

"It literally is an occupational hazard. It's something we try and avoid at all costs. On this occasion I did everything to make sure everything was OK it was just bad luck."

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