By Mikayla van Loon
Mooroolbark has ranked in the top three suburbs in Victoria where posties have experienced a dog attack in the last six months.
As the busy festive season approaches, Australia Post and its posties fear the number of uncomfortable or vicious encounters will only increase.
Australia Post’s latest data revealed that 114 dog-related incidents occurred in the state with Caroline Springs (13), Hoppers Crossing (11) and Mooroolbark (nine) topping the list, with Belgrave not far behind on seven.
Melbourne based postie of 26-years Jamie Perri said he’s experienced nearly all kinds of incidents, from being chased to cornered, which “can be quite scary”.
“My worst two experiences involve the same breed of dog, and that’s the German Shepherd, which I guess traditionally we know as guard dogs,” he said.
“On one occasion, two jumped through the front lounge room window to get out to catch me and chase me in the front yard but I got out of the front yard in time.
“The worst occasion was when I was delivering down this particular street, and a house had a high fence, and I’d see the dog every day, and he’d run from left to right, barking at me as I delivered.
“But on this day, he ran parallel to the front fence, hurdled the side fence into the neighbours front yard which didn’t have a fence at all. He then proceeded to chase me for a kilometre and a half.
“It’s not like he chased me along a straight road, I had left and right intersections to approach, T-intersections, and it was just a matter of whether a car was going to be coming. So it’s quite scary.”
Eventually Mr Perri said the dog gave up the chase.
And while training for posties instructs them not to run away because it might encourage the dog, Mr Perri said instinct says run.
“When you’re in the moment, it’s hard not to try and get away,” he said.
Mr Perri said when he first started the job over 20 years ago, the likelihood of having to get off the bike to deliver something to the front door was rare.
“Since the online shopping boom dog interactions with posties, particularly in front yards, have skyrocketed. Back in the day, 20 years ago, we never delivered parcels unless we had a passport letter.”
With the peak delivery period fast approaching, Australia Post is urging councils to enforce stricter measures for dog-related incidents and for residents to keep their dogs secured.
“Dog attacks remain one of the highest safety concerns for our people. As we head into our peak season and delivery volumes increase, there is a serious concern for the physical and mental wellbeing of our posties, particularly around dogs,” Australia Post general manager of safety and wellbeing Rod Maule said.
Mr Perri too said he and his colleagues just want to be safe when doing their job.
“We just want the dogs to be secure so we can do our jobs and at the end of the day we can go home because I know posties that haven’t gone home at three o’clock because they’re in the hospital getting stitched up,” he said.
“We don’t want to be another statistic. So there is a heightened level of anxiety these days when it comes to dogs.”
Mr Maule said it is common practice for Australia Post to report aggressive or dangerous dogs to councils.
“However, too often we see risks are not properly mitigated. This often leads to multiple instances of the same dog repeating aggressive behaviour, which can result in a severe attack on our Postie,” he said.
“Dog ownership comes with responsibilities, and we need council support to effectively enforce laws and regulations to ensure the safety of our people.”
Yarra Ranges Council communities director Leanne Hurst said reports that are investigated “can range from biting, rushing and attacking” and follow the Victorian Domestic Animals Act 1994.
The investigation must include a sworn statement of the incident, images or video footage and medical or injury reports from the victim.
“Council has the legal power to seize dogs during the investigation and to declare a dog as menacing or dangerous,” Ms Hurst said.
“Reports of serious dog attacks and non-serious reports where the owner is not present and dog rushes can be heard in a Magistrates Court.”
This can result in the council making specific requests to rectify containment, the destruction of animals or restitution for the victim by way of damages or costs.
All Posties are equipped with a hazard device to log aggressive dog behaviour, with more serious cases alerted to councils.
There are currently more than 29,000 active dog-related hazards nationally, and many are expected to stay unresolved.
Mr Perri said in his view “owners need to take ownership” and asked people to put themselves in a postie’s shoes to understand what it’s like when delivering between 50 and 70 parcels a day.
“If someone’s knocking on the door, whether it be the postie or in recent times, it could have been a small kid trick or treating for Halloween, and you’ve got a dog inside, place the dog into another room while you open the door or in the backyard,” he said.
“Or if the dog is in the front yard, lock the gate or put a sign up saying ‘be aware of the dog’, because quite often, a lot of these houses don’t have signage or they don’t have their dog secure.”
Ms Hurst said Yarra Ranges residents are urged to check gates, fences and accessible areas to ensure an animal can be properly contained, especially if they are unsure how their dog will react to delivery drivers.
“All workers and passers-by should feel safe from dogs when out and about,” she said.
“Ensuring your dog is registered, safely contained and properly socialised will greatly reduce the chances of a dog developing behavioural issues with other animals and people. This will, in turn, reduce the likelihood of an attack happening.
“Dogs can be highly territorial and their reaction to an unknown person entering the property can be unpredictable. If you are concerned about a dog loose on a property it is not recommended to enter if your safety can’t be guaranteed.”
Ms Hurst also suggested referring to the RSPCA Dog Behaviour and Training Handbook.
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 resolved.
