Effective Ways to Keep Dogs from Biting Delivery Persons and Children

Being the victim of a dog bite or attack can be a harrowing and dangerous situation. This is particularly true for individuals who are employed as parcel shipping and postal service letter carriers throughout the United States. On average, 10 letter carriers suffer from dog related injuries each day. Nationwide, approximately 4.5 million people suffer from dog related injuries every year and of those, children are the most frequent victims followed closely by the elderly and postal service letter carriers. Each group represents a disproportionately affected cluster of citizens who are victimized by dog attacks and bites. The staggering numbers of dog bite related injuries has become a matter of national attention and remains one of the most commonly reported public safety concerns.

If you're not a letter carrier or the parent of a child, you may be wondering how this issue affects you. Dog bite awareness is important to everyone in the general public and especially to dog owners because each year municipalities are enacting stronger laws assuming greater liabilities designed to penalize owners who cannot manage their dogs responsibly. While most dog owners believe that their dogs would not harm anyone, many experts believe that an "adversarial relationship" exists between delivery persons and dogs which initiate attacks of such persons. Dogs frequently believe they are successfully protecting their homes and owners by exhibiting aggressive tendencies towards delivery personnel, who leave the dog's property after being confronted with such behavior. Over time, dogs establish dominance of and experience increased confidence with persons viewed as intruders on their property. But if that dog gets loose, there's a good chance it may attack and injure someone.

Dog ownership carries a number of responsibilities and potential liabilities for actions of and injuries caused the animal; this is even more true in areas where an owner or custodian understands that children and postal delivery persons may be regularly present. It is imperative that owners of animals, especially dogs, make sure that these animals are adequately trained and restrained in order to avoid damage and injury to other persons. An owner should never allow their dog to be presented with a new situation where it is unclear how the animal will react. It is in these situations where even one moment of carelessness may cause life-threatening injuries to children and liability to others such as postmen for the victim's pain, suffering, and medical expenses.

There is a wealth of written information available for individuals to educate themselves about responsible dog ownership, including the risks associated with a dog bite on a child and other people in your neighborhood. Teach your dog appropriate behavior for every situation. For example, owners should refrain from playing aggressive games with their dogs such as wrestling and tug of war, and discourage their children from doing the same. This type of play in fact mimics a dog's natural instinct to run down prey and assert his dominance, which could lead to a serious dog attack. In order to prevent injury, it is essential that your dog recognizes family members as dominant figures whose authority should never be challenged. Sadly, many instances of dog bites in children and mailmen are preventable.

Below are some helpful tips issued by the United States Postal Service to help make your neighborhood safe for the letter carrier, yourself, and the children who live there.

Dog Bite Prevention Tips for Letter Carriers and Children:

1. Find out what time the carrier usually brings your mail.

2. When the carrier is due to visit your house, check to be sure your dog is inside. Keep the dog inside until the letter carrier is gone.

3. If someone needs to open the door to sign for a letter, first put the dog in another room and close the door securely.

4. If you have a mail slot, keep your dog away from it so the carrier's fingers don't get bitten.

5. If your mailbox is inside your fenced yard and so is your dog, keep the dog on a reinforced leash that is away from the mailbox during the time your letter carrier delivers the mail.

6. When you and your dog are outside, never walk up to the postman and ask for your mail. Your dog may think you are being threatened and attack or bite.

7. Report dogs running at large to your local authorities as soon as possible. If you are a child, tell your parents and don't follow after the animal in any circumstance.

8. If you see a dog you do not know, then stay away from it. Remember: if there is no owner, than there is no petting. When you approach a dog with its owner, make sure it is on a leash. In that case, never reach your hand out to pet the animal until after asking the owner's permission (and if you are a child, your parents' permission as well) to let the dog sniff you first, and then allow you to pet him.

9. If a strange dog comes near you, stand like a tree, or if you are on the ground, curl up your legs, cup your hands over your ears and lay still like a rock!

10. Never run away from a dog that is chasing you. Instead, stop and stand still with your arms at your sides, try to be very calm and quiet, do not scream or make any loud noises, and walk away very slowly while facing the dog, but never looking at it directly in the eyes. Children especially must learn that they should not stare at a dog in his eyes.

11. Don't ever go near a dog that is in a car, behind a fence, or tied up — even if you know him.

12. Finally, teach your children that all dogs may bite, even your own dog; and that dog bites can be very dangerous and sometimes even deadly to children.

We certainly hope this information helps children and others avoid being bitten and teaches dog owners some easy strategies for safe handling of their pets.


------

Jim Parrish is Virginia lawyer who focuses his practice on helping people injured and damaged as result of dog bites, car crashes, motorcycle accidents and other vehicle collisions. Because he used to work for insurance companies, he knows how to keep his clients from being taken advantage of by their "traps" and "scams." Please visit his website for lots of VALUABLE and FREE information about accident claims: http://www.theparrishlawfirm.com/