Beware of dog!
Bob DeSavage
Being that it is summertime, I must remind my brother and sister
letter carriers to exercise caution when approaching houses that have
dogs.
Oftentimes, the only thing separating you and the dog within, is a
screen door. People forget to see to it that the door is securely
latched.
There is nothing more frightening than to have a dog bolt through that
door!!! Such a thing happened to me yesterday; and the only thing that
saved me was my quick reflexes to kick the door shut before the dog
got out.
Needless to say, if it happens again, I am going to flag the house and
notify my supervisor of the situation so that he can inform the
homeowner of his obligation.
I love dogs, and have my own. But since I am a responsible person, I
use a little foresight and take steps to make sure nothing like that
happens at my house. Some people who should know better, don't do
this.
If it happens once - shame on me. If it happens twice - shame on
them!!!
Happiness is to come home from work and see my beagle wag his tail
all...@tiac.net
Lanuel Staten
Bob DeSavage <all...@tiac.net> wrote:
[....]
: There is nothing more frightening than to have a dog bolt through that
: door!!! Such a thing happened to me yesterday; and the only thing that
: saved me was my quick reflexes to kick the door shut before the dog
: got out.
: all...@tiac.net [......]
Forget kicking the door: keep your finger on the trigger and spray at the
first sign of a charge. It's not your job to open or close front doors,
screen or otherwise.
Dogs react aggressively towards letter carriers because all the others in
the hood do. It's a learned agression and regional. I know, because I
carried at a lot of stations in L. A.. Some hoods were bark free (Summer
or no Summer), where as others were like descending into Hell Hound Hell.
Either you're going to make friends with the harrasing dog or you're going
to have to teach it that you are no joke. First way is best but we can't
take time to buddy up to all the dogs in the hood, especially if you float
through routes (like I did).
I've sprayed many a dog, including bulls, and they overwhelmingly remember
the shock and pretty much leave you alone even if all the other dogs
continue with their nasty attitude.
And if not for the consequence of jail/fines, I would have croaked many a
mutt.
--
Lanuel L. Staten <nin...@primenet.com> (an X carrier; thank God)
cha...@voicenet.com
all...@tiac.net (Bob DeSavage) wrote:
>Oftentimes, the only thing separating you and the dog within, is a
>screen door. People forget to see to it that the door is securely
>latched.
opened by a dog jumping up and hitting the latch. I've had this
happen to me numerous times in the past. One of my friends at the
office once had 3 dogs jump thru a 2nd floor screen window to get a
piece of him. Luckily he high-tailed it to the gate and closed it in
time. He said after his pulse returned to normal he went into a
laughing fit for hours. Sort of like I do whenever I remember this
story. Then there's the story about a 3 legged dog that chased
another brother carrier of mine, but I'll save that for another time.
Speaking of dogs, I've got one that follows me every day on my route.
His name is Bear and he keeps me safe from any mutt who dare crosses
our path. It sure helps keep the day moving along when my 4-legged
friend is there to keep me company. Sorry for ramblin' on like some
damn fool......
Bob DeSavage
On 30 Jul 1996 09:00:03 -0700, Lanuel Staten <nin...@primenet.com>
wrote:
>: There is nothing more frightening than to have a dog bolt through that
>: door!!! Such a thing happened to me yesterday; and the only thing that
>: saved me was my quick reflexes to kick the door shut before the dog
>: got out.
>: all...@tiac.net [......]
>
>Forget kicking the door: keep your finger on the trigger and spray at the
>first sign of a charge. It's not your job to open or close front doors,
>screen or otherwise.
I agree with you to a certain extent. Although it is not my job to
open or close front doors, it IS my job to try to survive an incident,
no matter how it's done. There are many times that you are not in a
position to spray a dog. Have you ever tried to spray a dog when the
wind is blowing in your face? There were even a couple of times when a
dog had me cornered, that I had to kick the bastard down the front
steps.
In the above case, it was far better to try to keep the dog in the
house instead of going nose to nose with the bugger if he bolted out!
Being that the dog's owner rushed to the door to collect the dog, my
action at the time was the most prudent.
All circumstances concerning dogs are different, and you got to handle
them in a different manner each time.
Randall Lasini
Lanuel Staten (nin...@primenet.com) wrote:
: Bob DeSavage <all...@tiac.net> wrote:
: I've sprayed many a dog, including bulls, and they overwhelmingly remember
: the shock and pretty much leave you alone even if all the other dogs
: continue with their nasty attitude.
: And if not for the consequence of jail/fines, I would have croaked many a
: mutt.
: --
: Lanuel L. Staten <nin...@primenet.com> (an X carrier; thank God)
The thing you really have to watch out for is the bad dog owners.
I've been threatened by a dog owner that if I had his dog put down
(I could have it bit me through my jacket) he whould come at me with a
shotgun. And this bloke has a plate in his head so even if he did
he could claim deminished Responablility.
Randall Lasini <sui...@cwi.net.au> Senior(acting) PDO Seymour Australia.