Australia Post has named Rockingham as one of the top spots in WA where posties are falling victim to dog-related incidents.
More than 1190 dog-related incidents have occurred nationwide in the past six months with Australia Post concerned these numbers could grow during the busy Christmas season.
WA had the third highest rate of incidents in the country (188) with Wangara, Rockingham, Bentley and Bunbury the hotspots.
One in three incidents took place on customer property with all of these incidents happening either at the front door or when the postie is approaching or leaving the front door to deliver a parcel.
A further 62 per cent happened on the street, with more than 80 per cent of those involving dogs escaping a property or roaming freely without an owner present.
An aggressive dog chasing a postie. PIC: Australia Post.
Australia Post say they will stop making deliveries to a property or street if a postie is threatened or injured by an aggressive dog.
Posties have also been equipped with citronella spray if they feel threatened.
Australia Post General Manager Safety Russell Munro said simple actions from dog owners can make a critical difference during the busiest delivery period of the year.
“Our Posties want to be able to deliver for our customers without fear of being attacked or chased by a dog. Regardless of breed or temperament, we urge all owners to keep their dogs safely contained when expecting deliveries," he said.
“While the rollout of citronella spray has helped in many situations, we’re still seeing far too many cases of aggressive dog behaviour and unfortunately can’t prevent all incidents from occurring. We’ve seen the number of cases increase over the past six months, which shows there’s still more work to be done to keep our Posties safe.
“If you’re expecting a parcel delivery, our app makes it easy to stay informed with up-to-date delivery times and now displays a timely reminder to secure your dog in another room or behind a gate."
A postie's injury after being bitten by a dog. PIC: Australia Post
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