Published: March 22, 2008 03:35 pm      

Officials: dogs becoming real problem for postal carriers

Ada — Man’s best friend is becoming a real thorn in the side for the United States Postal Service, officials said.

USPS Ada Postmaster Carol Johnson said they are working with city hall and the community to help prevent dog bites through responsible pet ownership. Johnson said carriers are experiencing dogs at large on a daily basis. In one area of town a carrier encountered 22 loose dogs in one day, Johnson said.

Last week, two Ada carriers were interviewed by Mark Bratcher of Explore Ada. Johnson said one of the carriers had been savagely attacked by two huge dogs and was bitten several times on the head and just this last fall she was bitten on the arm and has a big scar on her arm. The other carrier has been bitten the most with one severe bite to his back and numerous times on his legs.

According to Ada city law, a dog at large means not enclosed within a building, fence or other enclosure. Other means of restraint are controlling the animal by leash, harness or handhold. Also, owner is defined as any person, firm or corporation owning, harboring or keeping an animal. The occupant of any premises on which a domesticated or tamed animal remains, or to which it customarily remains, for a period of 10 days or more, shall be deemed to be harboring or keeping the animal.

Ada Assistant Police Chief Carl Allen said having a dog at large is illegal and owners can be fined. He said if a dog bites an individual, the owner can be held liable.

Johnson said residents have a responsibility to themselves to restrain their dogs and create safety for their carriers and their neighbors. Even if the dog does not belong to them, they should call animal control and inform them when they see a dog at large, Johnson said.

Johnson said while some attribute attacks on letter carriers to dogs’ inbred aversion to uniforms, experts are now saying the psychology actually runs much deeper that Everyday that a letter carrier comes into a dog’s territory, the dog barks and the letter carrier leaves. Day after day the dog sees this action repeated. After a week or two, the dog begins to feel invincible against intruders. Once a dog gets loose, there’s a good chance it will attack.

A few recent dog attacks occurred after the carrier delivered a certified letter or a package. So it’s vital that customers put their dog into a separate room before opening the front door. Dogs have been known to burst through the screen doors or plate-glass windows to get at strangers, Johnson said.

She said the problem is not just a city problem.

“We’ve had problems with dogs and our rural carriers as well,” Johnson said. “One of our rural carriers had to replace two tires because of dogs biting them and ruining the tires.”

“Our letter carriers are vigilant and dedicated, but we may be forced to stop mail delivery at an address if a letter carrier is threatened by a vicious dog. In some instances, postal service employees have sued and collected damages for dog bite injuries. We can’t control people’s dogs; only dog owners can do that,” Johnson said.

In some instances, a USPS safety instructor will have curbside mailboxes installed on streets where problem dogs reside. This poses a real problem for customers who are elderly or disabled, Johnson said.

In 2006 alone, US postal carriers suffered 3,300 dog bites. That’s an average of 11 dog attacks every delivery day, and that figure does not include the number of threatening incidents that did not result in injury.