Dog Attacks On Posties Up 190% In Fife

Around 29 postal workers in Fife have been attacked by dogs over a period of 12 months - that is up 190% on the year before.

The number of attacks tends to rise during the school summer holidays. The Royal Mail's launching it's annual dog awareness week, they're asking the public to make sure dogs are out the way when the post arrives, and to make sure kids don't answer the door, as the animals can push past them.

The campaign aims to further raise awareness of the issue of dog attacks on postmen and women and other members of the public, highlight the need for responsible dog ownership as well as appealing to dog owners to keep animals under control. The number of attacks rises by over a quarter during the school holidays and in the summer months when parents and children are at home and dogs can sometimes be unsupervised in the garden or out onto the street without restraints. 

Rob Jenson, Royal Mail Operations Director for the North, said: "Dog Awareness Week continues to go from strength to strength raising awareness of the problems of dog attacks and the problems our postmen and women face when they are delivering the mail. However, last year there were still too many incidents in the KY postcode area and we need to reduce this number further as even one dog attack on our people is one too many.
 
"We know that most dogs are not inherently dangerous, however, even the most placid animal can be prone to attack if it feels its territory is being threatened. Our first priority as an employer is to ensure the welfare and safety of our people who provide a valuable service to our customers. We appeal to owners in Fife to keep their pets under control.Royal Mail’s main aim is always to prevent attacks. Royal Mail believes that if we feel that there is a risk from a dog, or any other animal, at an individual address, we are committed to working with the customer to agree simple steps to ensure we can continue to deliver the mail safely."

The campaign runs from 29 June to 4 July 2015.