Postal carriers step out despite dogs

Sticking with their New Year's resolution to drop a few pounds, four Golden Gate letter carriers take their 10-minute morning break on the road, each morning, near the Golden Gate Postal Annex off Green Boulevard. Dressed in formal uniform, their standard walking equipment includes a stick, not for support but to ward off dogs that may be loose in the neighborhood.

Along with the challenges of adverse weather and traffic, dog bites pose a major concern for carriers in their efforts to deliver the mail. Each year, more than 3,000 postal workers suffer dog bites, according to the United States Postal Service website.

"I am scared to death of dogs," admits Luanne Skoglund. "It takes me awhile to warm up and trust dogs." Skoglund has been employed with the USPS for 19 years, 16 of them in Connecticut on a route, where she walked house to house.

"I've been attacked and bitten by 'friendly' dogs," she says. For the past three years, she has had worked a truck route in Golden Gate City, and has had no issues with any dogs.

"When I deliver a package to a home that I'm not familiar with, I beep the horn and holler before I exit my truck," she explains.

Local resident Linda Mains has been delivering mail in Golden Gate City for 12 years.

"I've never been bitten, but I have been charged a few times," she says, adding the service advises carriers to carry pepper spray for their own safety.

During National Dog Bite Prevention Week, the Humane Society of Collier County urged dog owners and pedestrians to remember that safety comes first.

Sue Gregory, adoption center manager at the Humane Society of Collier County says that dog owners can reduce the chances of their dogs biting people by first selecting a breed that is appropriate for their lifestyle.

"For example, chihuahuas and cocker spaniels are generally better in a home with adults only. Labradors, hounds and beagles usually have good dispositions and are fine around children," she said. Gregory added that every dog for adoption at the Humane Society undergoes a temperament test and that only those who pass are offered for adoption.

Photo by CHERYL RONDEAU, Collier Citizen

Golden Gate postal carriers walk 15th Avenue SW during their morning break despite concerns regarding dog confrontations.

Dog owners can also keep their pet socialized by taking them out for walks on a leash and being around people and other dogs in a friendly setting.

Officials say spaying and neutering a dog not only reduces the unwanted pet population but also greatly moderates a dog's natural aggressiveness and makes it more manageable.

"At work we have occasional safety talks, especially during summer months when dogs get excited because of the intense heat," Mains said, adding the other carriers feel safer when she walks with them because she loves dogs.

"If we were confronted, they would just put me in front of them," she laughs. "That's why they started carrying sticks, you don't want them (dogs) coming at you." Maria Padilla has lived in Naples for 30 years and has been a letter carrier for eight of those years.

"I've never been bitten, but I've been scared many times," she says, however; that doesn't keep her from taking the morning walk.

Letter carriers are the third most likely group of people to suffer a canine attacks. Children and the elderly rank first and second.