Any Former Mail Carriers Out There? A Dog Question

fureverywhere

fureverywhere

beloved friend who will always be with us in spiri
Location
Northern NJ, USA
Hi, I know one of the number one terror for a mail carrier are dogs...followed by what the bag does to your back, knees, feet. But an ongoing issue is one of our carriers being unusually frightened of our dogs. There are several carriers but one keeps writing notes on our mail like " Brown pit behind porch door, dangerous dog".

Our dogs are not in the front yard waiting for him or her. Our front screen door is solid on the bottom and glass on top with a deadbolt lock. When the second door is closed you can see the dogs in the window and hear them...but in any case they can't get near anyone.

Even if you put something in our mail slot it's too narrow for a face or mouth to get into it. I 've even taped a note above the slot-Mail carrier, the screen door is securely locked-. Still we get the notes. I talked to someone who used to be a carrier and he said basically the only complaint can be a loose dog.

A loose dog and they can pepper spray the dog and refuse to deliver. But if the dogs are securely contained the guy is just being a weenie and don't worry about it. It just makes me mad the frickin' dangerous dog label. I sleep with my boy every night, he guards me, daughter and cats with his life, but he's actually just a big lap dog.
 

fureverywhere, you've posted several threads about what you see as a bias against your dogs and what you see as a bias against a particular breed of dogs - in general, and in particular as it relates to the issue of mail delivery.

Here are a couple of your previous threads:

https://www.seniorforums.com/showthread.php/16984-If-I-Wanted-to-Be-Evil


https://www.seniorforums.com/showthread.php/17182-Dogs-Breeds-Aggression-and-Stupid-Humans

In one thread title you refer to "stupid humans".

As you've said today it's an ongoing problem, and it's obvious you're quite upset and opinionated about it. I respect your right to vent, but my question is what have you done to try to resolve this problem?
 
And maybe part of the issue is that the mail carrier is afraid that your dog will come through the glass of the door. Does it go into a frenzy whenever it sees the mail carrier? If so and the only thing is glass between him and 'Fido', perhaps you could solve the problem by having the dog in another part of the house when the mail is being delivered and then your mail carrier would feel safer.

And like someone said in one of your other threads, maybe this person has a very deep rooted fear of 'dogs' in general and reacts like I do when I see the tiniest little snake or even an earthworm for that matter. Irrational fears are irrational and don't make sense to those not afflicted. Have you ever talked to this person about the problem?
 

I dunno...trade him in for a happy Lab? It's part of owning the breed I know. Then on the other paw you have the sweethearts. Everybody in the grooming salon loves him to pieces. Oh and there was the day at the playground. A grandma was on the end of the bench when I sat down. I'm used to people keeping a distance sometimes.

So I asked her " I'm sorry, do you like dogs?". This woman just beamed and said " I don't like dogs, I LOVE dogs!". She hugged and kissed him and then her grand daughters came over to pet him too...what a happy man, he was the hit of the playground. It's just showing one person at a time that they don't have to believe the myth of the demon dog.
 
I know one of the number one terror for a mail carrier are dogs...
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Actually this isn't true.

By the way, I know a couple mail carriers. One is retired, and has always had dogs. One still works as a mail carrier and her son has a dog the exact same breed as yours, fureverywhere. Son lives with her so obviously she isn't terrified of dogs or of that breed.

My own father was a mail carrier for a few years. This was back in the 1950s, before leash laws. Trust me when I say my father was not "terrified" of anyone or anything - certainly not a dog. (We had dogs as kids.) This was a man who once grabbed a loaded gun from the hand of a man who came to start trouble as we sat at the dinner table. A dog?? pffftt
 
Debby I understand...there is one dog breed I'm secretly afraid of, well besides the spiders, snakes and centipedes...oh and I hope to never see another ground hog...Schnauzers. I can hide my fear with a smile. I might even lightly pet it behind the ears. But my aunt had Scuffy, it loved the adults but had it in for me as a kid. No matter how much I try to tell myself Scuffy has been gone for many years...I still see him in every Schnauzer. That being said if someone dropped a homeless one on our front steps I'd probably get over it somehow.
 
I get the dog notes, too. My mailbox is on the outside of the wrought iron grille surrounding my porch. The door to the grille is locked and deadbolted. My dog can be inside the house, peeking out the big window and I still get the dog notes. There is no way that Bonnie could get through the big glass window and through the locked grille (floor to ceiling around porch), even if she tried. She just likes to stand at the window and bark. I am always sure she is NOT on the porch, even though she could not get through the wrought iron, in the AM, because of the mail. I still get the notes.

Fureverywhere, it's chihuahuas that bug me. We can be out on a walk, Bonnie (big ol' sweet lapdog) on a leash, and some chihuahua (unleashed) will run up and want to take on Bonnie. The owner always says "my dog won't hurt your dog" -- well, DUH, my dog outweighs your dog by about 65 pounds. The issue is I don't want my dog to hurt your little dog because it charges up aggressively and nips at her. And there are LEASH LAWS. They are supposed to work for everyone. I don't know why some people with little dogs think they don't count for little dogs!! AND, if Bonnie reacted to a little dog that nipped her, you know the headline would read "Vicious Pitbull Attack," not "Pitbull attacked by vicious chilhuahua." GEEZ!
 
fureverywhere said:
Hi, I know one of the number one terror for a mail carrier are dogs...There are several carriers but one keeps writing notes on our mail like " Brown pit behind porch door, dangerous dog".

Even if you put something in our mail slot it's too narrow for a face or mouth to get into it. I 've even taped a note above the slot-Mail carrier, the screen door is securely locked-. Still we get the notes. I talked to someone who used to be a carrier and he said basically the only complaint can be a loose dog.

A loose dog and they can pepper spray the dog and refuse to deliver. But if the dogs are securely contained the guy is just being a weenie and don't worry about it. It just makes me mad the frickin' dangerous dog label. I sleep with my boy every night, he guards me, daughter and cats with his life, but he's actually just a big lap dog.
Click to expand...

I don't blame the mail carriers for being extra cautious, your dog may be a lovey angel to you, but as you say he guards you and your daughters. A mailman is a stranger in a uniform coming to your door, and your dogs are on high alert, which would make any carrier nervous.

It just takes a split second for a dog to get out if someone, maybe a child, carelessly left the door ajar, etc. Pit bulls especially get a bad rap, there are many sweet ones, I've met a few myself, but there's others who will rip your throat out, and have seriously injured or even killed people.

fureverywhere said:
...there is one dog breed I'm secretly afraid of...Schnauzers. I can hide my fear with a smile. I might even lightly pet it behind the ears. But my aunt had Scuffy, it loved the adults but had it in for me as a kid. No matter how much I try to tell myself Scuffy has been gone for many years...I still see him in every Schnauzer.
Click to expand...

I just lost my Standard Schnauzer last month at the age of 13 yrs. He was a big boy, almost 70 pounds, but was gentle with people and children, although he'd growl and give a warning bark if someone approached my front door. He's the 4th of the breed that I've owned.

Most of my mail is put in the mailbox near the sidewalk of my front lawn. A couple of times the carrier had to ring my bell and hand me a package. I controlled my dog and quieted him when I opened the door to receive. All the time the carrier was happy to see he was being friendly and wanted to pet him, so I let him step out a bit.

But...I wouldn't freak them out by having him threaten them whenever they delivered mail. There may not be a large number of mail carrier attacks, but the ones that occur are fresh in their minds I'm sure. I'd be a bit antsy myself if I had to do that job.

attachment.php
 
Okay look at that face, that dog I could love.
The carrier seems to come early afternoon. So maybe for a few hours we'll keep both doors shut.
 
Well stated, SB (post #8). Sorry about your schnauzer. Yes, a big boy. My across the street neighbor has a schnauzer but I'd say 20 lbs at most. Those beards! :)

And it's not only mail carriers - UPS, Fedex, pizza delivery, lawn care people with noisy equipment, utility workers - they all have a job to do and people must contain/control their pets. No one wants to work around a barking, growling animal.
 
Thanks AC, so true that people must consider the workers and contain their dogs so they're not threatening.
 
I retired from being a letter carrier 2 years ago. I have had my fingers bitten while pushing the mail thru the slot,I had an Irish wolfhound break thru a window to get at me. That encounter cost me a 6 stitches a couple days off of work and the pleasure of knowing that that vicious animal was put down) Only you love your dog,I do not have to tolerate your dogs bad behavior toward me. Al I ever wanted was to do my job and go home unmolested.
Your dog may not be bad,but when you spend a career having to constantly vigilant do to people wearing rose colored glasses whe n it comes to there darling little pookie you do become jaundiced.

It is the carriers duty to warn others that may be doing the route that your dog vicious or not does exist!

I own 3 large dogs of my own and I never forget that they are dogs not humans!
 
Robusta said:
I retired from being a letter carrier 2 years ago. I have had my fingers bitten while pushing the mail thru the slot,I had an Irish wolfhound break thru a window to get at me. That encounter cost me a 6 stitches a couple days off of work and the pleasure of knowing that that vicious animal was put down) Only you love your dog,I do not have to tolerate your dogs bad behavior toward me. Al I ever wanted was to do my job and go home unmolested.
Your dog may not be bad,but when you spend a career having to constantly vigilant do to people wearing rose colored glasses whe n it comes to there darling little pookie you do become jaundiced.

It is the carriers duty to warn others that may be doing the route that your dog vicious or not does exist!

I own 3 large dogs of my own and I never forget that they are dogs not humans!
Click to expand...

Bravo. :clap:
 
A lot of police departments are trained on how to handle dogs. We get into a lot of situations where dogs are involved and can be dangerous to the police, but not the owner. I think most have heard stories about a dog standing guard over his master that has died and won't allow anyone near the body. There are many breeds of dogs, some with bad reputations for being mean and/or unpredictable. There are three of the more common dogs here in the U.S. that most police have been trained on how to handle without being injured. If the situation allows it, we always call in the professionals and they secure the dog and if not, then we have to act.

The three most common breeds that have reputations for being mean and/or unpredictable are Pit Bulls, Dobermans and Rottweilers. Most State Police use or have in their possession a catch pole. Using a catch pole allows the Trooper to secure the animal while limiting the possibility of an injury to the dog or the police.
 
I think most have heard stories about a dog standing guard over his master that has died and won't allow anyone near the body.

I've had nightmares about that. Having a stroke or heart attack walking him and he decides he has to keep people away from me. Fortunately if I still could speak he listens very well to my voice commands. One night I was lazy and just ran out to my car for a second. A young man was walking his dog across the street. All of a sudden both dogs barreled out the door.

Talk about heart attacks, I was over there instantly. So lucky the owner knew what to do. He just stood passively while Callie sniffed him. Sophie I got by the scruff with both hands. She's the dangerous one, she hates other dogs...fears other dogs, so she bites. I was dragging her back to the house while calling to Callie " Callie come on let's GO". He dropped his head and followed me back inside. I did catch up with the owner and dog afterwards and the dog was fine. The owner actually mentioned Callie was a good dog.
Now we make sure that door is locked. If I step outside even for a second I have someone else lock it. Don't want that to ever happen again.
 
I was an insurance agent when I was younger, and had a route where I went to people's homes to talk to them about their insurance. I had to be very careful about dogs because when I went up to a porch with a fenced in yard, I never knew when a dog might come running around from the back yard and try to bite me.
I have always had dogs, and most of them were large breeds like Danes or other large dogs; so even though I love dogs, I also can understand how someone can be afraid of being attacked.

Now, I only have small (very small) dogs; but anytime we expect a package in the mail, I still put the dogs away so they do not go to the door and bark.
Our mailbox is out at the road, and the carrier drives by unless they have a package; so ordinarily, the mail is not an issue. On meter reading day, I make sure the dogs are inside, even though he only looks over the fence to the back yard.
To my way of thinking, even though neither one of my dogs is dangerous (or could do much damage if they did bite anyone), I believe that my duty as a dog owner is to not allow them to be where they would upset anyone who is supposed to be coming to my house.
That is the consideration I would like if I were the mailman or delivery person; so that is what I do.
 
My little dog only barks from a distance..and never charges a person..although she's fearless against cats..haha. She's only 7 pounds.

i loved the video with the turkeys...that is priceless.

I understand if a mailman is concerned about a big dog. I guess any animal could do something unpredictable no matter how sweet they are normally. The meanest dog I ever saw was a very spoiled chihuahua our neighbors had when I was a kid. It would chase and bite anyone with its little needle teeth if it got loose.

I also agree all dogs should be on a lead and controlled..no matter what size they are.
 

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