One in three dog-related incidents involving a postie happens at the front door, says Australia Post. Picture: stock
Dog owners in South Australia are the target of a new safety information campaign in a bid to reduce attacks on posties.
The SA Government and Australia Post are joining forces for the letter campaign which targets the state’s 314,000-plus registered dog owners.
The government is also cracking down on dog owners whose pets attack people and animals with new laws and penalties.
The SA Government says dog attacks have skyrocketed with 503 people requiring hospital treatment in the past year, up from 211 in 2012.
Deputy SA Premier Susan Close says posties should be safe to do their work.
“Dogs are loved by most South Australians but the reality is that hundreds of people are bitten by them each year in our state,” she says.
“This campaign is not about demonising or stigmatising any dog; it is about raising awareness on how to keep yourself, other people and our dogs safe.”
Ms Close says part of the campaign involves teaching about warning signs of a potential attack.
David Parkin is chairman of the SA Dog and Cat Management Board.
“Many dog bite victims are not aware they should report attacks to their local council even if they don’t need medical treatment,” he says.
“Any dog can bite and the board is committed to raising awareness and ongoing education.
“Our research has shown public awareness campaigns and ongoing education can help change people’s behaviour but it will take time and commitment to achieve results,” Mr Parkin says.
More than 1200 dog attacks were reported to South Australian councils last year but independent research suggests many more are not reported.
“The board is committed to ongoing dog bite education for the mid to long term because dogs are part of our families — they provide more benefits than costs and our research is highlighting areas we can target to reduce bites,” Mr Parkin says.
Rod Maule is Australia Post’s General Manager for Safety and Wellbeing.
“One in three dog related incidents involving posties occurs at a customer’s front door during a parcel delivery,” he says.
“Posties will not deliver to a home or business unless it is safe for them to do so and will stop delivering to an address until there is no more danger.”
Government figures reveal that in the first half of this year, 114 posties were attacked by dogs in SA and more than 1000 posties attacked across Australia annually.
