Postal Letter

What happens if my dog attacks the mailman?

I let my dog outside the backyard to bring him into the house through the side door, and he goes after the mailman (whom I did not see). The mailman yells to get the dog away from him, and he sounds pretty mad. I grab my dog and scold him, bringing him inside. My dog did NOT bite the mailman, however. Is there a chance he will press charges/fine us?

Public Comments

1. You should have sicked him on the mailman. Then laughed at him as he bleeds.
2. yes there is a chance he will. You need to post signs that say beware of dog/dog on premises. If he does press charges, after you dog bites 3 people, it may be put down.
3. No. If your dog did not bite the mailman, then he cannot charge you. If the mailman has any injurys, then maybe he can press charges. Make sure you always have your dog on a leash if it is off your property! Because if you don't, you can be fined. It depends in which state you live though.
4. He could potentially do that. He could also refuse to deliver your mail. The post office would back him on that. You would have to pick up your mail instead.
5. You're lucky he didn't pepper spray the dog. That's what mailmen usually do.
6. Extremely unlikely with no bite.
7. Your dog your responsibility mail men have to deliver the mail its your responsibility to be in control of your dog at all times your dog bites you get sued simple .
8. I don't think he will press charges since he didn't get hurt, I wouldn't worry to much about it if I were you :)
9. If the dog did not bite, then the mailman cannot bring any charge on you. HOWEVER it will be polite on you to put a board at your gate to say : beware of dog : or something to that effect including a picture. This way, people including children know what can happen if dont ring the bell and wait. If any harm is done by your dog, then there will be court case, and punishment etc depending on the judge. If your dog is a vicious one then sometimes, you may even be asked to put him down.
10. He might call animal control if he feels like being a real asshole. My dog got out of the backyard about a year ago, he was a mastiff. He was the sweetest guy in the world, he was even playing with the cable guy that same morning. I guess the mailman walked up to put the mail in the mail box and my dog went up to him to get attention he was wagging his tail and giving a playful bark. He loved to play with strangers. I guess the mailman was scared or something so he sprayed him in the face with pepper spray. As if mentally scaring my dog wasn't enough the asshole decides to take it even farther and call animal control. Nothing happened though, my dog didn't bite him and the officer could tell my dog was very friendly, he kept trying to lick him. So I guess he could call animal control but it's unlikely they will do anything since he didn't get out of the front yard (I hope) and he didn't bite the guy either. The mailman can't sue you if nothing happened to him. 1stMate ...I can see it from a mail man's point of view, but I also look at it from a common sense perspective. I have a lot of experience with wandering animals especially more feared breeds such as the bully breeds. I can assure you I don't go pepper spraying every dog that comes near me, that's how you get yourself bitten. It's very obvious to tell when a dog is coming at you in a non-aggressive stance and when a dog is acting territorial and aggressive. I don't expect a mail man to know that, however I have a right to my opinion whether you like it or not. If it's clear the dog was not intending to attack you and the owner apologizes for the incident and assures you it will not happen again (and it doesn't) there is no reason to cause a further stink about the matter by calling the dog pound on a dog that is obviously not aggressive. Granted it is the owners responsibility to make sure a dog is controlled and contained, but realistically it's the real world, it's a dog, and accidents do happen. As long as no one is hurt and the situation does not occur again there's no reason to make such a large stink about it. By the way I was not insinuating that all mailmen are assholes just that this one in particular was one in my own personal opinion.
11. Doesn't take much for them to refuse to deliver mail to you.. You may end up having to pick up mail at the post office. A friend had an Am Staff that barked when the mail man came. The dog was inside mind you and never left the house (they weren't at home). The mail man complained and they stopped delivering the mail.
12. I have been a mail carrier for 20 yrs. I have 2 jack russel terriers myself. We deal with numerous dogs, if we are unfamiliar with a dog, we have the right to spray if we feel threatened. I used my pepper spray only once in 20 yrs. Try to see it from our point of view- we are suddenly confronted by a dog we don't know, and have to defend ourselves. Mail carriers are not assholes. It is your responsibility to confine your pets / keep on leash when you know about when your carrier delivers mail in your area, esp. if your dog barks or is known to approach strangers aggressively- we try read the dog's behavior ( but even a wagging tail is no guarantee they won't bite). And yes I've been bitten by dogs , because the dog's owner wasn't paying attention, one actually charged out the front door from behind the person who opened her door to get a package and bit me on my leg.Now, I put my hand against the door in same situations, tell them DO NOT OPEN DOOR UNTIL I'M GONE. Try usps.com for more info -- I hope this helps