Royal Mail dog awareness campaign
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ROYAL Mail has launched the annual Dog Awareness Week in Scotland.
It is supported by the Communication Workers Union and a wide range of organisations and animal charities including Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, The National Dog Wardens Association, Dogs Trust, PDSA, Blue Cross and the National Police Chief's Council.
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.
Dog attacks are a significant hazard, faced by postmen and women on a daily basis. Around 336 Scottish postmen and women were attacked by dogs from April 2014 to April 2015, down two per cent on the previous year. Royal Mail is committed working with customers to drive this number down as every dog attack is one attack too many.
TV presenter and Battersea Dogs & Cats Home Ambassador Paul O'Grady is supporting Royal Mail's Dog Awareness Week in 2015 and said: "Your dog may be your best friend but that doesn't necessarily mean he's everyone's best friend.
"Our four-legged friends can get anxious around new people and need our help and reassurance. It's our job as good pet owners to make sure we treat our dogs with love and respect but also take the right steps to ensure they have safe and happy interactions not just with postmen but any visitors to the home.
"So many dog bites could be avoided if we all took more time to train and socialise our dogs and get them used to meeting new people."
Members of Parliament, councillors, political activists and other campaigners are also at risk from dog attacks when out canvassing and leafleting in their local areas. In a survey of Members of Parliament, Royal Mail heard from more than 40 per cent of MPs who responded who also have personal experience of dog attacks.
Local Dog Warden Service/Animal Welfare Services will be visiting a number of Delivery Offices across the UK to give dog safety talks during Dog Awareness Week.
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 Scotland 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 Scottish dog owners 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."
A poster will be on display in enquiry offices across the UK giving tips to dog owners on how they can help keep the postman safe when they call to deliver their mail.
A national Dog Awareness Week postmark will be applied to all postmarked letters from June 29 to July 4.
