Posties feel the bite

Dog owners are being called on by Australia Post to secure their pets and help keep posties safe, with almost 1000 dog-related incidents occurring since July this year.

Australia Post has seen a spike in dog-related incidents, with an average of 7.5 recorded each day since July. With the busiest time of year approaching, Australia Post is making a plea for dog owners to take action to help protect their postie.

Despite ongoing public awareness campaigns from Australia Post, the frequency of dog related incidents has not decreased.

Rod Maule, Australia Post General Manager Safety and Wellbeing, said their are simple steps dog owners can take to keep posties safe.

“Our team of posties are working hard delivering to our customers in all parts of the nation, however we need the support of dog owners to keep their dog secure and our posties safe. We see a lot of incidents occur at the front door as our posties try to deliver packages, with dogs racing out from behind their owners,” Mr Maule said.

“It takes just a second to secure your dog in another room, and it makes the world of difference to our team members.”

With the festive season approaching, Australia Post is now delivering up to seven days a week – making it “more important than ever to keep dogs secure”, Mr Maule added.

To help protect its team members Australia Post has introduced several preventative measures aimed at reducing the number of dog-related incidents.

In addition to on-the-job training, posties are also provided with a digital hazard tracker that allows them to log the location of a hazardous dog. The next time they, or any other postie, approach a pre-logged location they will receive a warning notification on their device, allowing them to avoid it or take extra care.

Dog-related incidents:
• 321 in Queensland
• 306 in New South Wales
• 177 in Western Australia
• 103 in Victoria
• 68 in South Australia
• 9 in the Northern Territory
• 5 in Tasmania

TOP TIPS FOR KEEPING DOGS SECURE:
• Always keep front gates securely closed.
• Where possible, secure dogs in the back garden (rather than the front) and keep any side gates securely closed.
• If you are expecting a delivery, be careful when opening your front door to ensure your dog doesn’t run out from behind you. Keeping them safely in another room when you answer the door is a great way to prevent this.