Aggressive dogs attack up to eight postal workers a day

Eight delivery staff are falling victim to dog strikes every day as they come face-to-face with highly territorial animals.

A massive rise in signing for parcels and letters means poorly-trained dogs can get at the unsuspecting postal workers when owners open front doors to sign for deliveries.

The Royal Mail has been biting back by bringing private prosecutions against owners when the authorities fail to taken action.

With up to 3,000 postal workers falling victim to dog attacks every year, their union leaders are backing a new initiative launched today as the delivery service goes into seasonal overdrive.

The 2015 Vet Report reveals how dog attacks - more than 200,000 men, women and children fall victim every year across the UK to a dog strike - can be dramatically reduced by making owners more responsible.

A law change last year means owners can now be taken to court if their dogs attack on private property, but the new vets' initiative aims at making sure the animals do not go beserk when someone arrives at the door.

The report, produced by Vets4Pets, has won the backing of the Communication Workers Union, which represents the majority of dog attack victims - postal workers.

Its national health, safety and environment officer Dave Joyce says: "The growth in online shopping and signed for deliveries is resulting in postal and delivery workers having to knock on doors and for customers to open doors to collect the growing number of parcels. This increases the possibility of direct contact with dogs in their own home or territory, which they'll naturally defend."

The union chief, launched the Bite Back campaign in 2008 which has seen dangerous dog owners brought to court in private prosecutions by the Royal Mail.

More than a dozen cases are currently pending. He is strongly behind the new Vet Report, saying dog attacks are preventable.

"Figures show that eight postal workers are attacked on a daily basis, so it's pleasing to see an organisation with a UK-wide reach producing a well-researched and constructive report to help raise awareness of the problem and to reduce the number of dog attacks," he said.

Director of clinical services at Vets4Pets, Dr Huw Stacey said: "Dogs naturally place a high value on their home environment (territory); it is where they have all their basic resources such as food, water, shelter and companions.

"Aggression is a natural behaviour for dogs and they will use if they wish to increase the distance to something they find threatening.

"In the case of territorial behaviour, a dog's aggression is triggered if they feel these resources are threatened by a strange intrusion and they feel there is a need to protect them.

"As such, territorial aggression is simply a way of a dog enhancing its own safety within its home environment.

"It is not a characteristic in any breed of dog, it is an adaptive behaviour and can be prevented or managed if the warning signs are recognised and acted upon."