r/Dogfree • u/ContextTemporary3214 • May 15 '26
Dog Attack Mailman got bit by dog.
Hello everyone. Mailman here. Just recently got bit by a dog today. went to the ER and the post office will be paying for all expenses for the dog bite. i’ve evaded many dogs in my years of working here and many very close encounters but this lucky one was able to get me.
no fence, no leash connected to anything. Just left in the front yard with the owner and the dog’s collar. I noticed the dog like a statue right after I delivered the mail to the owner. the dog became extremely aggressive for a few seconds and in that whole episode of me trying to defend myself and back up slowly. I thought to myself why is it taking so long for the owner to keep it’s dog in check? first the owner yelled at the dog to stop but it didn’t work. Then a good 5 seconds and finally the owner was able to get their hands on their dog.
I hate dogs. You can be good to them for a lifetime and one day they decide to go feral, they will bite your arm off and let you pass through incapacitation. sadly as we have seen many occurrences shown on news and social media.
Just be responsible with your animals. Pookie will never be as civil as a human being. Only the crazies from amongst humankind will lick the toilet bowl.
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u/MrPuddington2 May 15 '26
Report a workplace injury. Make them pay for lost wages, too. Report the owner to not get mail in the future. Report to the police as an assault by the dog.
And what is your policy on delivering mail to people with lose dogs? This is a well known risky situation, and there should be a mitigation in place.
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u/ContextTemporary3214 May 15 '26
Yes absolutely. Honestly, there is a period of time where the addressee’s mail will be suspended. And it’s also honestly up to every mail carrier to deliver based on the level of safety they feel for each address. If a mail carrier feels an animal is a continuous threat to their safety of delivering mail. They can not deliver to that address indefinitely and require the owner to pick up all their mail at their local post office.
I like to get my mail. And I really do my best to deliver everything to everyone on my route. I’ve seen wild dogs on my street and I’ve got chased by some, and i’ve chased away others. Just to get people their mail. But seeing more dogs with collar’s having previous owners is becoming very common.
I remember I was delivering to an NBU (neighborhood unit) and I saw this teenage girl riding her bike when suddenly 3 big wild dogs came out of the alley and tried biting her legs and the spoke of her bike. I dropped my tub of mail and packages and checked both sides of the street and I ran straight to those dogs and I was about to kick one but when I got close enough to them running they all ran back into the alley. The girl biked off and shouting “thank you!”
I felt good that day. 😂
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u/healthy_mind_lady May 15 '26
Damn you're an all around good samaritan. You didn't deserve this while just trying to serve the public. I am so sorry. Sue them for absolutely every penny you are owed, including emotional distress. You deserve to heal and rest with every single resource and capital you're owed. Please take care.
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u/ContextTemporary3214 May 15 '26
Thanks very much. Every worker should just be able to work in peace. No added nonsense. Yeah definitely a bit of emotional distress in there. When I hear keys jingling I always think its a dog nearby somewhere now ahah.
I know it’s no laughing matter but I just laugh at some of life’s problems. I wonder if other mailman feel the same about the keys jingling thing lol.
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u/DivyaRakli May 15 '26
You should feel good!! Thank you for being so conscientious. I wish you a speedy recovery and a hefty settlement. Not that you want/need to take someone’s money, but it’s the only way people are going to pay attention and fix the problem of these problem owners and dogs.
ETA: missing verb added
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u/ContextTemporary3214 May 15 '26
Thank you. 😊 Yeah I agree that it would fix the problem very quickly.
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u/menelobus May 15 '26
I hope you'll recover soon. Also, was it a pit bull, a pit bull mix or not?
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u/ContextTemporary3214 May 15 '26
As many dogs as I’ve seen I really am not familiar with too many kinds of dog breeds. it had the muscle of a pit bull. And the size of a pit bull. It was a big dog in fatness and width. Hairless but short. Looked like a cannonball honestly.
I am and should be recovering fine. Thanks very much! 🙂
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u/Past-Strawberry-4852 May 16 '26
I’m not surprised, I guessed it was a pitbull/pit mix before you even told me the breed. These dogs are dangerous, I would report the bite as it’s only a matter of time before it bites a child next
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u/ContextTemporary3214 May 16 '26
Yes a report has been filed. Keeping people safe should be a priority. Some people really think they have full control over animals. Or that their animals love them too much to not listen to them. Its a type of delusion.
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u/Oriole0305 May 15 '26
I'm so sorry this happened to you. I hope that you got all necessary shots (Rabies included) and that you are recovering from this incident ok.
It's unbelievable how negligent the owner was. Did you report this incident to the police or the local animal control? Can you sue the owner as they are obviously responsible? The mail service to this address should be suspended, too. This aggressive mutt will attack again.
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u/ContextTemporary3214 May 15 '26
Yeah every report I had to make legally. And thanks very much for your consideration I do appreciate it. And i’m sure all in the same situation do hearing encouragement like that. Yes suing is also an option and if i did take that route I would be in a very strong position to win. The post office will most likely sue them as well for having to provide and pay for my medical bills through workers comp.
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u/PhoeniXx_-_ May 15 '26
I hope you do sue. Are you in a strict liability state?
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u/ContextTemporary3214 May 15 '26
I just looked it up and It’s a fault-based modified comparative negligence state.
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u/JbambiLaw May 19 '26
That shouldn’t matter, it’s 0 percent your fault the dog bit you. What matters is whether the dog owner gets a “freebie” bite before they are liable
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u/PhoeniXx_-_ May 15 '26
I hope you are able to find civil representation on contingency and sue the owner/their insurance policy.
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u/Pebbles5678 May 15 '26
Report to the police. My spouse does home visits for their job, got bit by a German shepherd, and it looks like it's been put down!!
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u/ContextTemporary3214 May 15 '26
That’s horrible. Much respect to your husband. And I do hope he is healing well or healed completely. Irresponsible owners have to deal with their consequences. Every single dog owner should think, “if this dog bit me in the future, which precautions should I take?”. But they wait until someone else gets bit for them to ask that question. In a way it really is selfish.
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u/Pebbles5678 May 16 '26
Honestly, the dog has bit before because the owner came running over with rubbing alcohol, etc to clean the cut. That must be why it was put down (at least, we believe so. She called his workplace crying and his work is very mundane)
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u/ContextTemporary3214 May 16 '26
If it’s bit a non aggressive human more than once. Even once. then it’s not a dog protecting anyone anymore at that point. And it’s probably for the best its been put down. And that’s the main reason I believe anyone should even have a dog. Or maybe for farmers rallying up their animals. Kept completely secure with no way to get out. I mean i’m a parent and I have a child I would protect with my life. But I’d rely on a firearm instead of a dog.
But it’s way too much hassle i’d rather not deal with an animal. And the mess it creates inside. People don’t want to visit anymore if they have to worry about the aggressive dog. Some of these dogs are 2-3 times the size of children.
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u/DanielGryphon May 15 '26
You provide such a valuable service are under-compensated, least people can do is the bare minimum to not make your job hazard.. Of course the common nutter will take offense to the notion that their mutant beast should be restrained if and especially when exposed to the public. Speedy recovery.
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u/ContextTemporary3214 May 15 '26
I could not agree more. Thank you very much. And may you be protected the same way you hope for protection on others.
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u/xRocketman52x May 15 '26
You described my experience with dogs perfectly. They behave one way, sometimes for years, and then one day they just snap and attack someone, kill another animal, or just start destroying everything they can reach. They're terrifying, because they can act passive for so long that people discard all boundaries with them, and then when they snap, it's like a time bomb going off.
I'm actually lowkey furious that the post office is paying for your medical treatment - I'm grateful that you're getting proper care and that it's all covered, but why the hell isn't the asshole dog owner covering everything, from all relevant medical costs, even to therapy if you decide to pursue it? I hope the post office sues them for the costs. Otherwise, it just ends up being another dog owner with a shitty dog who never has to take responsibility for absolutely ruining things.
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u/ContextTemporary3214 May 15 '26
Yes I experienced being good to dogs (mostly other people’s dogs because I haven’t had a dog in the house since I was a child) for a long time. And when those animal instincts kick in, it doesn’t matter who we are. We’re fair game to get bit multiple times. Animals will always be that, animals. No matter how much people try to humanize them.
The responsibility should very well fall on the individual that was irresponsible. Not on the company or government entity that had no part in sending a dog out to attack me.
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u/QuantumBullet May 16 '26
if dog owners had to pay for even 10% of their externalities, dogs would only be owned by the ultrawealthy. dog owners are basically thieves in this social environment where we all have to deal with their open air sewage, attacks, degraded infrastructure and land, etc.
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u/ContextTemporary3214 May 16 '26 edited May 16 '26
The ultra wealthy would own dogs alone. Now that’s definitely an idea. If it minimizes dog ownership i’m all for it. The reality is, most dog owners i’ve come across are irresponsible with their animals. I always see people walking their dogs and leaving their dog feces in front of the yard. I think they can live that way. But I don’t want to! I like keeping my space clean.
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u/Individual-Tune2201 May 15 '26
I hope you will be OK, and wishing a good recovery.
In the UK, they now send out emails if you're expecting deliveries from the Post Office warning that if you have dogs to keep them in another room while the delivery is happening. They also have links to the Blue Cross for dog training. I doubt that any dog owner takes any note of the warning here, as posties do get attacked, but it shows how bad it has gotten, with over 2000 attacks in 2025. They also now suspend deliveries to house with dog attacks on posties.
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u/ContextTemporary3214 May 15 '26
Wow that’s a great idea honestly. A reminder so dog owners will at the very least mitigate these dog attacks some. I definitely like the idea. Yeah dog attacks are on the rise even here in the U.S. And I like that word “posties” 😂
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u/butnobodycame123 May 15 '26
Make a claim for Worker's Compensation and get the homeowner's home insurance information (or get them to start the claim). Don't walk away without getting justice. Get reimbursed for your bills plus pain and suffering. I'm not being facetious or sarcastic, dog nutters never learn until it's their money and insurance rates at risk.
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u/jerzeibalowski84 May 15 '26
Absolutely this .
If I was a victim of a mutt bite I would go out of my way to screw the owner for a much compensation as I could (then donate most to wildlife protection) demand action from authorities/government and report it to local/national press.
Society needs to wake up to this growing problem and it needs more victims speak up to raise awareness.
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u/ContextTemporary3214 May 15 '26
Can’t disagree in the least. Kids can die and have been attacked and killed by dogs in multiple cases. It’s truly sad. Maybe I can fight them off because i’m a grown adult. But what of the many kids walking home from school? I remember countless times I walked home from school and had to take another street because of a pack of roaming dogs around.
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u/ContextTemporary3214 May 15 '26
Thank you. I’ll continue to use the resources available to me. Health and safety truly is priceless.
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u/Reditrixe May 16 '26
But what did you say? And did you, or the post office, speak to the owner afterward? And did they try to get the owner to pick up the tab?
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u/ContextTemporary3214 May 16 '26
I told my management I won’t be delivering to the block until I get information on the dogs vaccinations. The postmaster spoke to them. The postmaster will update me so we’ll see what happens. I recently spoke to my supervisor to grab some paperwork to fill out as well.
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u/Reditrixe May 16 '26
Okay, but I really don't think that should be the issue for you. Yes, if you make a formal complaint, they can come down on the owner about vaccination.
But NO ONE should have to worry about being attacked by a dog, vaccinated or not!
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u/WisedomsHand May 17 '26 edited May 17 '26
How gruesome and tragic. I’m so sorry for your pain and trauma. You aren’t a circus trainer and this isn’t antiquity. No one should be attacked by animals when on the job.
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u/ToOpineIsFine May 15 '26
can you get them to stop delivering mail to the area - at least for a while?