Keep your dog under control for postie's sake

ROYAL Mail is asking pet owners to keep animals under control when the postman calls.

The call follows the release of figures which show a third of all accidents suffered by Royal Mail staff last year have involved dogs with, on average, two incidents per week across Northern Ireland.

These occur particularly during the summer months when more children and parents are at home, and pets – especially dogs – will be out of the house in the garden or in the streets without restraints.

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Royal Mail employees are being trained on how to best avoid an attack when confronted by an angry dog.

Royal Mail safety director, Tom O’Kane, said: “While we appreciate that not all dogs are dangerous, even the most placid dog can become very protective of its owners or territory and we have seen an increase in the number of attacks where the owner is present.”

He added: “Our first priority is to ensure the safety of our people who provide a valuable service to our customers and we would request that dog owners help keep their postman or woman safe.”

The Royal Mail has provided some advice:

• Please keep your dog indoors around the time your postman usually calls to deliver your mail.

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• If you have to open the door to speak with the postman, put the dog in another room where it cannot push past you at the door.

• Be careful if your children answer the door as the dog may push past them.

• If your dog is allowed to run loose on your property, such as in the garden or to the rear of the house, ensure that there is safe access to your letter box which the dog cannot access.

• If it’s not practical for you to keep your dog away from the postman delivering your mail, please consider fitting a secure mailbox on the edge of your property so that the postman does not need to enter your property and be put at risk.