Mail carriers learn how to ward off dogs

By SAMANTHA PHILLIPS

sphillips@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

This week is National Dog Bite Prevention Week, and Youngstown postal workers know the threat of dog attacks all too well.

There were 17 dog attacks on Youngstown postal workers in 2018. The only other city in Northern Ohio that had a higher number of dog attacks was Cleveland, which reported 50 dog attacks, according to United States Postal Service data.

By comparison, Columbus reported 37 attacks.

So far in 2019, there have been six reported dog attacks on the city’s postal workers, said Mark Rivera with USPS.

Sit Means Sit, a dog training organization, provided a demonstration for Youngstown’s letter carriers Thursday to teach them how to protect themselves and recognize warning signs that a dog is poised to attack.

Bret Reynolds, dog trainer, asked the letter carriers to raise their hands if they had ever been bit by a dog on the job.

About half raised their hands. Eight of them raised their hands when he asked how many had to be hospitalized for the dog bite.

With the help of Falco the German shepherd, Reynolds demonstrated how to use the workers’ mail bag to defend themselves.

If a dog charges, holding up the bag makes that bag the target instead of the worker. Tugging on it when the dog grabs it keeps the dog’s attention on the bag, he advised.

Reynolds also recommended carrying pepper spray.

Rivera said when a letter carrier delivers mail or a package, a dog should be restrained and separated from the worker. For example, an owner could place the dog into a separate room. If a letter carrier is threatened by a dog, a person could have mail service suspended and would then have to pick mail up at the post office.

Thomas Kerns, Youngs-town postmaster, said over the years he has had mail carriers who could not return to work after being bitten or mauled by a dog.

“I don’t know if [the owners] realize the severity of the injuries they can cause,” he said. “It’s not just the dog bite, [victims] get PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). It’s more than a puncture wound.”

“It’s life altering for some people who are injured by these animals.”

Dianne Fry, Mahoning County Executive dog warden, said when the county is called for a dog bite, wardens check to see if the dog is registered and vaccinated. If the dog is not, then the owners can be cited for those two instances plus receive a dog running at-large citation.

She said dog owners are responsible for making sure their animal is restrained when a letter carrier or other employee providing a service comes to the house, especially if the animal becomes agitated.

“It’s important to make sure these people are safe and they can do their jobs, and it all comes down to the owner,” she said.