HOW HE SEES IT Unleashed dogs threat to letter carriers

By LARRY R. MINNIEAR
SPECIAL TO THE VINDICATOR
Every year, letter carriers are attacked or bitten while trying to deliver mail. But dog attacks are a serious problem for the entire community, not just our letter carriers, and hundreds of children are among the victims who needlessly suffer the pain and trauma of dog bites.
Nationwide, postal service carriers suffered 3,423 dog attacks and bites last year. That is an average of 11 dog attacks and/or bites every delivery day, and that figure does not include the number of threatening incidents that did not result in injury.
These numbers pale in comparison with the more than 4.7 million people -- mostly children and the elderly -- who suffer injuries from dog attacks each year.
In Youngstown last year, on at least 21 occasions dogs interfered with, attacked and/or bit city letter carriers. Fortunately, most dog bites can be prevented through responsible pet ownership. Our customers must understand that our carriers can interrupt mail delivery if there are dogs running loose, possibly threatening their safety.
In February 2005, one of our carriers was mauled by a large dog on the West Side of Youngstown. This carrier was off work for over 6 months and is still in a limited duty capacity as a result of a dog bite. He has suffered severe physical as well as emotional disability from just this incident.
If a letter carrier needs to interact with you, put your dog into a separate room before opening your front door. Dogs have been known to burst through screen doors or plateglass windows to get at letter carriers and strangers.
Leash laws
Nationally, the number of carriers attacked and bitten by dogs has declined over the years. This is the result of greater cooperation from dog owners, stricter leash laws and stepped-up efforts to educate letter carriers and the public about dealing with the problem.
Our letter carriers are vigilant and dedicated, but we may be forced to stop mail delivery at an address if a letter carriers is threatened by a vicious dog. In some instances, Postal Service employees have sued and collected damages for dog bite injuries. We cannot control peoples' dogs; only the dog owners can do that.
While some attribute attacks on letter carriers to dogs' inbred aversion to uniforms, experts say the psychology actually runs much deeper. Every day 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 appears to feel invincible against intruders. Once the dog gets loose, there is a good chance it will attack.
Dog owners should remind their children about the need to keep the family dog secured. We also recommend parents ask their children not to take mail directly from a letter carrier. A dog may see handing mail to a child as a threatening gesture.
These simple reminders and helpful tips can reduce the hazard of dog-bite attacks. Help us to help you practice responsible pet ownership.
X Larry R. Minniear is Youngstown's postmaster.