I’m calling about the pit bull attacking carriers. Mine isn’t a
pit bull, it’s a silky terrier. We had a substitute postman come
by, and he kicked my dog because she ran toward him.
“I’m calling about the pit bull attacking carriers. Mine isn’t a pit bull, it’s a silky terrier. We had a substitute postman come by, and he kicked my dog because she ran toward him. She came back to the house, and he threatened not to bring our mail if she ever did that again. I was sitting outside with all my grandkids and I don’t think that’s fair.”
Red Phone: Red Phone, Dear Lumped In A Pack, unfortunately your mail carrier has no way of knowing what your dog’s intentions were when it came rushing toward him.
Your normal carrier may have known the area and what to expect from the area’s dogs. But that may not necessarily be the case.
Your dog may have wanted nothing more than to lick your carrier to death, but in the short time he has to react he can’t be sure of what the dog’s intentions are. The best thing for the safety of all is to keep your pet away from where the carrier has to go to deliver mail. Or you can add a mailbox outside your gate, and then you don’t have to worry about chaining up your dog.
The post office has a zero tolerance policy on dog attacks, said Gilroy Post Master Penny Yates.
“We consider every dog to be a hostile dog. They all have teeth,” she said.
If any skin is broken from any bite, no matter how small, the owner of the dog is charged $2,000 for a visit to the hospital for a tetanus shot. And the cost could rise depending on the injury and if the carrier chooses to hire a personal attorney, Yates said.
Gilroy had two attacks by dogs this summer on carriers – both by pit bulls – Yates said. One carrier was out for about a month with a groin bite, and the other just returned to do light office work after being out nine weeks after a dog bit off his finger.
If there is a loose dog in the area, carriers are instructed to not only not deliver to the house but also to the neighbors as well.
So let this serve as another reminder to keep your dogs locked up so you, and your neighbors, can get their mail, and no one gets bit.
Follow-up on curb issues
“Pretty funny about the handicapped space on Ayer Drive. I know one of the residents at that house had a broken foot back in September 2008 and was granted a red handicap placard that has been extended multiple times. It is funny to me that ‘no one at that house’ is handicapped when my friend was walking on crutches and could not get to the front door unassisted. Guess none of those nosy neighbors saw that? I saw it and I live farthest away on the block. I guess medical records should be sent to all folks in the block. Also, many people who are handicapped, besides the resident, who has a permanent parking placard park in that spot. It is not like the space is reserved for one person. It is for anyone with a valid placard. How is this spot affecting you in anyway? I also do not like being lumped in with ‘all of the neighbors.’ I did not know we all had a party line phone call and called the Red Phone. The person tried to back up the claim by naming nameless neighbors. Ridiculous. It makes the whole neighborhood look bad.”
Red Phone: Dear Concerned Neighbor, thanks for your thoughts on this issue. We appreciate your willingness to take a stand. It just shows that people can see things from different angles. Stay tuned, and we’ll let you know whether the city decides to keep or remove the handicap space.
