11 Australia Mail Workers Attacked by Dogs Daily
Thirty-four percent of all of these incidents took place on the street.
Australia’s national mail carrier is urging dog owners to secure their dogs due to serious safety concerns for mail delivery workers.
This equates to around 55 mail workers per week falling victim to dog-related incidents, which is about 11 per day in a five-day working week.
The postal service found that half of all dog-related incidents took place on customer property, with one in three happening at the customer’s front door.
However, 34 percent of all of these incidents took place on the street. Dogs accompanied by their owner at the time made up 8 percent of these incidents, while in 26 percent of cases, the dog escaped a property to “attack a postie.”
Fifteen percent of dog bites occurred during letter deliveries while a postie was putting mail in the letterbox.
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Australia Post stated that while there is no specific dog breed more likely to attack than others, smaller dogs have been displaying “aggressive behavior” more frequently.
Queensland accounted for the highest number of incidents, followed by New South Wales, Western Australia, Victoria, South Australia, Northern Territory, Tasmania, and the Australian Capital Territory.
Dog Owners Urged To Secure Their Pets
Australia Post’s General Manager of Safety and Wellbeing, Rod Maule, emphasized the importance of ensuring the safety of posties.
“Our team members just want to be able to deliver for our customers, without being attacked, harassed, or chased by dogs.”
Mr. Maule recommended that if residents cannot securely restrain dogs, they should utilize parcel lockers whenever possible.
“Regardless of the breed or temperament of your dog, we urge owners to secure their dog safely in a backyard, on a leash, or in another room when expecting parcel deliveries or mail, whether or not they are at home,” he said.
“Posties will not make a delivery if it is unsafe for them to do so and will cease deliveries to a customer’s home until the danger is remedied.”
He also mentioned that Australia Post reports dog-related incidents to relevant local councils for enforcement.
Penalties For Dog Attacks Increase
Queensland has recently implemented stricter laws to address dangerous dogs, including potential jail sentences for owners of attacking pets.
An owner of a dog that kills or seriously injures a person can face fines of up to $108,000 (US$71,297) and up to three years in jail.
Five dog breeds have been banned, including the Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, Japanese Tosa, American pit bull terrier or pit bull terrier, and the Perro de Presa Canari or Presa Canario.
These new penalties follow a review of the Animal Management (Cats & Dogs) Act 2008 and recommendations from a state and local government task force.
The government has allocated $7.57 million (US$5 million) for government action in response to dog attacks in Queensland.
On the other hand, Shadow Minister for Agricultural Industry Development Anthony Perrett mentioned that the bill had been in the works for years.
South Australia, NSW’s Hefty Fines For Dog Attacks
Meanwhile, South Australia has recently proposed higher penalties for “vicious dog attacks” as part of planned reforms to the Dog and Cat Management Act.
The bill proposes to increase the penalty for dogs attacking a person or animal causing serious injury or death to $25,000 (US$16,504), up from $2,500.
If a dog owner “deliberately” encourages their pet to attack or harass an individual or animal, owners could face fines of up to $100,000 or four years in jail.
Councils would also be given more power to manage dogs that persistently wander in their districts under their changes.
Department for Environment and Water dog and cat management director Kym Pryde added, “The proposed changes are important measures to ensure breeders and owners are doing the right thing.”
If it is a “restricted” or “dangerous or menacing” dog, then the penalty is upped to a $77,000 fine and a five-year disqualification from owning a dog.
