Oak Flats posties are learning a dog’s bite is worse than its bark, with Australia Post revealing the southern Illawarra suburb is among the worst in the state for dog attacks on its employees.
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Across Australia, there were 281 reported “dog incidents” on posties in the past financial year – with NSW and ACT workers copping 97 of those.
Oak Flats was one of the hot spots with five serious incidents reported, with posties sustaining injuries after being bitten on their arms, legs and feet; being scratched and knocked down.
Oak Flats Post Office acting delivery manager Dean Hopkins urged local dog owners to take precautions to keep posties – and their pooches – safe.
He said a rise in online shopping meant posties were delivering more parcels to customers’ front doors.
“Our posties and delivery drivers work hard every day to deliver parcels and letters to customers, and with online shopping on the rise our people come into contact with dogs more than ever,” he said.
“We live in a very pet-friendly community, and want to make sure that dogs are secured so we can get in and out safely.
“Some residents may not think that their dog can hurt anyone, but our people don’t know that and it can be frightening approaching an unrestrained dog, so we need our community to help where they can.”
Australia Post eCommerce delivery group executive Peter Bass said the organisation was working to raise awareness through a dog safety campaign.
“We know that any breed of dog can have strong protective instincts to look after their territory or their loved ones, and this means any dog can be a safety concern if they’re not secured properly,” he said.
“Despite the number of reported incidents increasing, we’ve seen a reduction in the number of injuries to our people, because they are recognising the warning signs.
“… By reporting more incidents our people are keeping each other safe and warning each other of the potential hazards. But we need further community help.”