Key points
- Australia Post has reported more than 1170 dog incidents so far this financial year; about 400 more than the same time last year.
- On average, five Australia Post workers are involved in dog incidents every work day.
- Veterinarian Katrina Warren says dogs could consider posties trespassers on their territory and because drivers left quickly, dogs could feel that barking at them or chasing them has worked.
Dog attacks on posties and delivery drivers are on the rise, prompting Australia Post to plead with owners to keep their pets secured when mail arrives.
The postal service has reported more than 1170 dog incidents so far this financial year — about 400 more than the same time last year, and an increase of more than 200 on last financial year’s total.
On average, five Australia Post workers are involved in dog incidents every work day, and, along with physical injuries, they can often be left traumatised.
Melbourne motorcycle postie Tony Gadsby, who has delivered mail for more than two decades, said he was recently bitten by a dog while covering a new route.
Postie Tony Gadsby was recently bitten by a dog while covering a new route.
“I just didn’t have time to prepare, the dog just raced past me. It was a shock, and it has made me more vigilant going to doors,” he said.
“It’s common for people to say ‘it never bites’, but as a dog owner myself I know they can be unpredictable, and I’d urge fellow owners to just take that extra moment to make sure their dog is not going to be a danger to someone just doing their job.”
Photos supplied by Australia Post show posties bloodied and maimed after dog attacks, while video shows dogs tearing into motorcycles and chasing down drivers.
A postie bloodied after a run-in with a dog.
The service has reported the most dog incidents this year in NSW, Western Australia, and Queensland. Toowoomba in Queensland’s south was the worst spot nationally with 48 incidents.
There were 103 incidents in Victoria this financial year to March 30; Preston in Melbourne’s north had the most reports in the state with seven. There were 300 in NSW, with the most in one suburb – nine – in St Leonards in Sydney’s north-west.
Australia Post has launched a campaign, “even good dogs have bad days”, urging owners to keep their pets locked up when posties come around.
A still image from a video shows a dog confronting an Australia Post worker.
Executive general manager of the service’s network operations Rod Barnes said dog attacks could be traumatic for drivers and “have lasting effects not only in terms of physical injury but also their mental health”. He said drivers might not feel safe to keep delivering to places where they were attacked.
“It can sometimes be difficult to imagine that an otherwise friendly family pet might pose a risk to others, but the reality is that our people are being hurt or placed in danger on a daily basis,” Barnes said.
“Even if a dog doesn’t bite it can cause a serious accident by running in front of a postie or driver in an electric delivery vehicle, and that can also result in an injury to your pet, so we’re really asking that people remember to shut their gates, keep their pets secured and help make sure our people can deliver their parcels and mail to them safely.”
Another postie, whose leg was bitten by a dog.
Veterinarian Dr Katrina Warren urged pet owners to keep their dogs somewhere they could not see or interact with a postie. She said they should be kept on a leash when greeting drivers at the front door and rewarded with treats when they sat, and owners should teach their dogs that when a postie visits, something positive – like a treat – happens.
Warren said dogs could consider posties trespassers on their territory and because drivers left quickly, dogs could feel that barking at them or chasing them has worked.
“The problem is the postie always comes back, so your dog will bark at them again to make them go away but after a while your dog may up the ante and bark more, growl, lunge or even bite to ensure your postie really gets the picture,” she said.
“If a dog is given the chance to keep rehearsing this behaviour, it will become a habit that can be difficult to break and dangerous to visitors including posties.”
Warren said pet owners whose dogs had already bitten someone, or showed warning signs they might, should seek professional help from a veterinary behaviourist.
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