Baghdad Bob "My brother Tehran Ted is a mailman and says Shih-Tzus are the ones you have to look out for!"
It’s a real jungle out there for America’s Mail Carriers. Despite assurances from the Humane Organizations and the Dog Lobby, dog bite related hospitalizations are up 86 percent since 1993 , and Dog Bite Related Fatalities are up a population adjusted 400 percent since the first CDC DBRF Study done in 1977.
The same dynamic is occurring with America’s Mail Carriers. US Postal Service statistics from 1995 show that 2782 mail carriers were bitten by dogs, and by 2011 the figure nearly doubled with 5699 attacks . Of course, with the proliferation of Pit Bulls and a lesser extent Rottweilers, Dog Bites are Worse. America now has two separate dog problems; the “Dog bite problem” and “Pit Bull mauling problem”. They should not be confused.
Below is a collection of Pit Bull attacks on Mail Carriers with a blood misting of Rottweiler appertifs. Perhaps now that the Space Shuttle program has ended and NASA needs a new mission, they could develop a light weight Kevlar “Maul Suit” for postal workers. This technology could then trickle down to neighborhood kids.
June 2012, Warren, OH; 31 year old Mail Carrier hauled off in an ambulance after being bitten several times by a Pit Bull
June 2012, Kalamazoo, MI; After being attacked by a Pit Bull for the second time in two years, this Pit Bull owning letter carrier is considering desk duty
May 2012, Louisville, KY; Police have to shoot Pit Bull to release it’s grip on Mail Carrier…Bad Doggie!!! Bad, Bad Bad Doggie!!!
April 2012, Fairfield, CT; A pit bull with a history of menacing letter carriers, broke through the invisible fence and took a bite of USPS. Letter carriers brave rain, sleet and snow but delivery to the area has been suspended since May 8 due to pit bull.
March 2012 Escondido, CA; In California’s 3rd Postal worker killed by a dog, dies after pit bull attack, Shame on you California, you are way overrepresented here!
Jan 2012, Bennington, NY; Postal Carrier hospitalized, owned fined $100
Jan 2012, Lorain, OH; Good Samaritans save mailman pulled down on the ground being attacked by two pit bulls
Jan 2012, Rock Hill, SC; Postal Carrier‘s ankle torn up
Dec 2011, Cleveland, OH; Friendly neighborhood Mailman Jack Smith sustains a broken left arm, a mangled right arm and a week in the hospital from an Ohio Pit owner
Nov 2011, Norfolk, VA; “Bubba the Love Sponge” shuts down mail delivery to the neighborhood
Aug 2011, Harris County, TX; We have a Pit Bull problem…Houston
Aug 2011, Edgewater, CO; Mario Gonzales is sorry his pits and rottweiler chased a mail carrier, bit a policeman and had to be shot . Fined $780
Aug 2011, Schenectady, NY; Mail Carrier attacked and bitten by Pit Bull
July 2011, Niagara, NY, Local paper publishes “Postal Carriers vs. Pit Bulls”
April 2011, Catawba, NC; NASCAR Driver s Pit mix savages his Mail Carrier
March, 2011, Fulton, MO; Mail Carrier sustains serious wounds to the face…”Missing pieces of flesh”
Feb 2011, Tempe, AZ; Neighbors take out Class Action Lawsuit against Pit-Leper after their Mail Carrier is mauled and mail delivery stops
Jan 2011, Oroville, CA; Police shoot Pit Bull that bites Mail Carrier in the neck and face
Feb 2011, Killen TX; Mail Carrier attacked by Pit Bulls
Dec 2010, Mason City, IA; Mail carrier attacked, mail service suspended
Sep 2010, San Jose, CA; Pit and GSD combo leave city workers hosing mail carriers blood off the side walk
Aug 2010, Torrington, CT; Pit Bull breaks through screen door and sends Mail Carrier for a ride in the Meat Wagon and onto the disability rolls for four months
July 2010, Houma, LA; Pit Bull commits OSHA violation by severely mangling Mail Man‘s legs
July 2010, Minneapolis, MN; After surviving Iraq, Iraqi war veteran mail carrier gets blown up by Canine IEDs
June, San Diego, CA 2010, Mail Carrier Eddie Lin dies from brain injury after being knocked down by Rottweiler
April 2010; Yuba City, CA; Mail Carrier hospitalized after two cans of pepper spay prove useless
March, 2010, Centreville, MI; Pit Bull that injures Mail Carrier euthanized
ERICA HOBDY
2009, Ansonia, CT; Letter Carrier sues Pit-Auntie Erica Hobdy for $15000 after his arm is mangled by one of her Nanny Dogs. Collection looks unlikely because in Oct 2011, Pit-Auntie Erica‘s Pit Bull killed her 20 month old niece during a babysitting gig and she is on trial for murder.
Aug 2009, Miami FL; Multi-time Felon’s illegal Pit Bull mauls Mail Carrier causing her to lose three fingers . An organized Pit Idiocy Group (PIG) from a neighboring county threatens a lawsuit to save “Blue“…*Note… Were we better off when only dogfighters owned these things and culled manbiters?!?
July 2009, Kirksville, MO; Pepper Spray, Catch pole and gun shot fails to stop beserking Pit Bull during Mail Carrier attack
July 2009, Rockford, IL; Mail Carrier Gets bitten in the face, arms and legs by Pit Bull with two previous biting incidents. F- minus grade assigned to Rockport Animal Control
June 2009; Mail Man attacked…Owner apologized on camera, sort of
April 2009, San Antonio, Texas; Retired Mail Carrier talks about never being able to make a Pit Bull back down and the non stop Pit Bull DRFS in Texas. Another 7 Texans have been killed by Pit Bulls since his letter
May 2009, Norwich, CT; Norwich post office lauds ‘humble hero’, Navy veteran saves , Mailman during Pit Bull mauling
Feb 2009, Phoenix, AZ; Mail Carrier bitten several times by Pit Bull
Feb 2009, Del City, OK; Just months after the City’s Pit Bull ban is removed, Mail Carrier severely wounded
Jun 2008. Milpitas CA; USPS releases photo of seriously bitten mail carrier
Oct 2008, Orange County CA; Pit Nutter Sherri Moody gets off easy after mailman bitten repeatedly in the face by her wiggle butts, claimed “Ghost let them out”
July 2008, Fresno, CA; Postal Carrier attacked by Pit
Bulls with bite history
July 2008, Columbus, OH, Illegal Pit Breeder’s dog attacks in the City’s second Pit Bull attack on a mail carrier in a month
June 2008, Springfield, IL; Mail Carrier recovers after Pit mauling
May 2008, Lake Charles, LA; Mail Carrier badly mauled by Pit Bull and put on the disability rolls
March 2008, Canadian Postal Service looking for better weapons to arm Mail Carriers against dog attacks
March 2008, Hanover, PA; Routine package delivery turns into a canine freakshow as Pit and Rottweiler combo trap Mail Carrier in her truck for two hours. Flattened three tires!
March 2008, Los Angeles, CA; Mail Carriers go through special anti-mauling training with bite trained pittie named Ajax
Jan 2008, San Bernadino, CA; Heroic Postal worker Melissa Kelly saves 74 year old man and his dog from attacking Pit Bulls
Jan 2008, Keansburg, NJ; Mail Carrier petitions city for Dangerous Dog Law after being mauled by Pit Bull
Nov 2007; Casper, WY; “Oh man, Now its serious!”…expresses veteran mailman after being mauled by Pit Bull
Aug 2007, Torrance CA; Pit Bull attack puts Mail Carrier into the ICU
April 2007, Omaha, NE; Pit Bull bursts through window screen and mauls Mail Carriers arms and legs
Feb 2007, Detroit, MI; Letter carrier Debra Jones takes a 200 stitch mauling from door bustin’ Pit Bulls
Dec 2005, Austin, TX; Mail Carrier off the job due to leg infection after being bitten by foul mouthed Pit Mix
Nov 2005, Napa, CA; Mail Carrier viciously attacked and bitten by Pit Bull as owner looks on
April 2005, Charlotte, NC; Mail Carrier Michael Redice awarded the Carnegie Life Saving Medal after jumping chain link fence to save boy being mauled to death by 5 Pit Bulls…Mr Redice held them off the boy until first responders arrived. Unfortunately the boy died
2004, Las Vegas, NV; Letter Carrier Victor Soto receives the National Letter Carrier’s Association West Region Hero of the Year award for who saving a boy from a pit bull attack
Sep 2004, Carbondale, IL; Mail Carrier severely bitten on the hand by Pit Bull
2004, Ontario, Canada; Mail Carrier Bull-baited after Pit Bull bursts through screen door, loses ear
July 2004, Joliet, IL; Pit Bull knocks down Mailman, bites him in the head
Sep 2003, Pinellas County, FL; After mail carrier is attacked by the same two Pit-Rott Frankenmaulers in a week, the Postmaster orders curbside delivery for the “Pit-Maulus” Park neighborhood
June 2003, Kansas City, MO; Mail Carrier gets artery severed in her hand. Postmaster threatens to shut down mail delivery until the neighborhood Pit-Leper gets rid of her dogs
May 2003, Santa Fe Springs, CA; Gardener rescues Mail Carrier who was being mauled
Jan 2003, Waxahachie, TX; Mail Carrier sustains broken arm and leg injuries after Pit Mauling
Aug 2002, Los Angeles, CA; Mail Carrier loses part of nose in Pit Bull attack
June 2002, San Francisco; Pit Bull “Taz“ bites mailman in the wrist and stomach
Sep 2001, Boca Raton FL, Mail Carrier gets 50 stitches from Pit Bull
Sep 2000, San Jose, CA; Police Officer shoots two Pit Bulls attacking Mail Carrier
July 2000, Philadelphia, PA; Two Pit Bulls burst through screen door and maul Mail Carrier’s arms and legs. Rescued by passing motorist
June 2000, Norfolk, VA; Mail Carrier undergoes plastic surgery after being mauled by two Pit Bulls
Aug 1999, Sudbury, MA; Mail Carrier Donna Caissie Cutler was named Hero of the Year by the National Association of Letter Carriers for rescuing an elderly man from Pit Bull and Rhodesian Ridgeback tag team.
July 1998, Detroit-Maul City; Pregnant Mail Carrier lets mauling Pit Bull have her arms instead of her stomach.
Aug 1998, Prince Georges County, MD; Heroic Postman honored, rescued man from Pit Bull
March 1995, Lexington, KY; Mail Carrier sues Pit Bull owner after being mauled
Aug 1993, Syracuse, NY; Rocky the Pit Bull shuts down mail delivery after 3rd attack, Pit-Leper causes neighbors to pick up mail at the Post Office
Oct 1992, Oakland, CA; Postmaster shuts down mail delivery after Letter Carrier mauled by 7 Pit Bulls
July 1992, Ontario, Canada; A Canada Post letter carrier was repeatedly bitten by a pit bull terrier and whipped with a dog leash by its owner
Feb 1992, Salt Lake City UT; Mail Carrier loses part of a finger when attacked by Pit Bull
Oct 1991, San Jose, CA; Mailman Joe Akot describes the fight of his life as he sprays chemical in the face of the Pit Bull that is locked onto his arm
June 1991, Oakland CA; USPS is fighting mad after yet another California Mail Carrier is attacked by a Pit Bull
March 1991, Virginia Beach, VA; Mail Carrier Eugene Parker named Eastern Regional Hero by the National Association of Letter Carriers for rescuing an 8-year-old girl from the jaws of a pit bull.
Jan 1990, Minneapolis, MN; When a 5 year old boy playing with M-80s in his room blows his hand off and his Pit Bull starts attacking him, Mailman Ken Soine leaps into action. * Note: The bewildered owners offered up that the Pit Bull “was trained to attack gunfire“ sigh….
Feb 1990, Sand Point, WA; Postmaster resumes delivery to Pit-Leper’s house after two Pit Bulls that attacked mail carrier are removed
June 1989, Spokane, WA; Pit Bull attacks mailman, then mauls its owner
June 1988; Pinellas County, FL; After Three previous attacks on a Police Officer, a child and a Postal Worker, Black Jack the Pit Bull hangs himself on a fence
Jan 1988; Letter Carrier’s arm crushed, saved by two Firefighters who were servicing hydrants. Bewildered owner surmises “it was the uniform“
Oct 1987, San Jose, CA; Pit Bull spared by Humane Society after mauling 94 year old woman, attacks Mail Carrier
April 1987, Richmond, CA; Mail Carrier gashed by Pit Bull
July 1986, Lynn MA; Mail Carrier’s arm severely damaged
March 1986, Houston, TX; Fill in Mail Carrier takes a ride in the Meat Wagon when two Pit Bulls defeat screen door
Aug 1985, Ft Lauderdale, FL; Pit Bull puts the Bite on Letter Carrier
Jul 1985, Coral Springs, FL; 38 mail carriers protest after pit-mauling. Request Pit Bull ban
July 1985, Broward County FL; Bam-Bam the Pit Bull jumps through the window of Louise Johnson’s Mail Truck and bites her 3-4 dozen times
June 1985, Bradenton, FL; Pit Bull attacks cat, Mailman and two Police Officers
Sep 1984, Sacramento, CA; Two Pit Bulls jump out of window and attack Mail Carrier who had only been on the job a month
Feb 1984, Boca Raton, FL; Postmaster establishes get tough policy with dog owners after one of his mail carriers is chomped by a Pit Bull
July 1984,Lorain, OH; Mail Carrier torn above the eye and loses part of nose from Pit Bull attack
April 1981, PiMaulus County, FL; Letter Carrier fights off Raymond Gerhardt’s two escaped Pit Bulls with a broom stick and calls police. Later that same day, an 82 year old man is mauled within an inch of his life by the same animals. Police shoot the feasting Pit Bulls off the man and Gerhardt faces a whopping $27 fine. F Minus grade assigned to Pinellas A/C
1981, Richland, WA; Postmaster describes mail carrier having leg severed by Pit Bull in 1981
Dec 1981, San Bernadino, CA; 47 year old Postal Worker Sheldon Smith dies from infection four days after being bitten by a Pit Bull
1978, San Jose, CA, Mailman Durrant Simon sustains twelve puncture wounds, nearly loses an eye and endures two hospitalizations after Pit Bull attack. The USPS experiments equipping letter carriers with Umbrellas called “Dogbrellas”…Apparently, the Dogbrella solution collasped as California Letters carriers would go on to suffer many maulings and a couple of deaths from Pit Bulls
May 1976, Port Richey, FL; Pit Bull mix jumps into mail van and bites letter carrier
July 1908, Detroit, MI; Mail Carrier “thrice bitten“-Ends 30 minute fight with Bulldog by smashing its head against wall
April 1907, Village Green, PA; Rural Postman John Oliver’s horse attacked on route
1889 Brooklyn, NY Mailman Ralph Jacobs gets mauled..."laid up for a month"
1894, New York City Mailman Patrick Duffy gets mauled, "May lose leg"
Special Safety Note: In 1986, Animal Behaviorists from the Humane Society of the United States published the “Are Pit Bulls Different Analysis?”…Pg 6; Pit Bulls 20 times more likely to break containment and attack. A common theme on this list is “Containment Busting”, but it makes sense since Pit Bulls are currently displacing other breeds in Canine Weight Pulling competitions.
Pit Bulls in the households of novice or casual owners is like giving the keys to an 18 wheeler to a 16 child year old with a learners permit. A public safety risk to themselves and everyone around them.
Unfortunately, You Can’t Make This Stuff Up!
15 comments:
Thank you for this. My dad is a soon-to-be-retired mail carrier of over 30 years. Because of regulation, they are only allowed USPS issued pepper spray as defense.
I don't want to derail this, but: I think some commenters live further west, in earlier time zones (I'm in NYC).
If you can watch JUDGE JUDY today, she delivers a royal smackdown to a pit bull owner whose PB got out through the screen and chased a woman on a bike. The woman injured herself getting away from the dog. The dog owner was all: "It's not my fault! I was upstairs bathing my baby! The dog never got out before! AND IF THE BICYCLIST DIDN'T SCREAM, THE DOG WOULD NOT HAVE ACTED THAT WAY! ALSO, THE DOG WAS CHASING A SQUIRREL--NOT THE WOMAN!"
Unbelievable.
If she was upstairs with the baby, how did she know the dog was chasing a squirrel?
Nice victim-blaming, also.
Anyway, Judge Judy ranted and raved at her and I enjoyed it a lot. She awarded the bicyclist $5,000!!! The bicyclist was standing there with this dreamy smile on her face the whole time, like she was in heaven FINALLY getting validation.
Bicylist also wore a jacket to court. Dog owner wore a sleeveless top. Judy's in NYC. Keeping it classy!
Sorry for this derail. I have EVERY intention of commenting on Vintage's newest post later today or tomorrow. Thanks Vintage!
i don't mind at all when the topics wander on craven.
i have seen a few of judge judy's nutter smack downs. she's good. you can gauge that by how much the nutters hate her and how little she cares :-) seems judges and doctors are the "experts" most likely to have their integrity intact.
We know our mail carrier and I think he's been bitter by a dog before, but luckily it wasn't a pit bull. Either way, being attacked is serious no matter the breed of dog.
I hate seeing these long lists -- it is heartbreaking! But, still, thank you! This needs to be seen.
I love all the judge shows. And I have seen many many pit attack cases, and the majority of the owners are are middle-class or higher white people. But no matter there -- they all make the same ridiculous excuses, just like the one you described, Miss Margo, making themselves look like blithering idiots. Most look pretty respectable until they open their mouths. And the judges, everytime, hand them their nutterbutts on a platter! That would be a great youtube channel -- all the pit attack cases in one place! Hmmmm....
This happened before there were many pit bulls around, but I have a happy postman story. When I lived in Kalamazoo, MI, our postman used to whistle (songs) the entire time he delivered mail. He also carried boxes of Milkbone dog biscuits with him. Every time he came to a house with a chained or fenced dog, he would throw them a few biscuits. Even the aggressive dogs quickly changed their attitudes after seeing that this guy was carrying treats. He only threw the biscuits once the sat calmly rather than lunging or jumping at the fence. He thus "trained" the dogs to wait for him happily.
I learned while training to be a (pro-BSL!) dog behaviorist that the gastric system "turns off" the adrenaline system. A dog can't think about food and start drooling... and make adrenaline at the same time. So this postman had discovered how to turn off adrenaline/aggression.
As soon as the whistling sound was heard, my own dog would quietly go sit by the mail slot of the front door drooling and waiting for his biscuit to be pushed through the slot. The mailman told me that he had never once been bitten by any dog on his route--quite a feat for somebody who had been doing the job for > 20 years!
I lived in a neighborhood with no pits, and used this technique on walks to train fenced dogs (Goldens, Labs, poodles, little yapper terriers) not to bark at me or my dogs as we passed. Works great. I haven't tried it with bully breeds or Rotties, however, and advocate detouring a few blocks rather than walking past them--with or without biscuits.
Margo:
> I have EVERY intention of commenting on Vintage's newest post later today or tomorrow. Thanks Vintage!
What blog is that on? I guess I'd better add another blog to my daily reading!
miss margo, i watched judge judy's smack down. despite the judge's concise analogy, i think that ms pit nutter was still unable to grasp that she was in the wrong.
opalina, i think most of these pit nutters look like amanda stevens - mouthbreathers.
sharon, she was referring to this blog post about the letter carrier jungle.
While looking for the clip that Miss Margo mentioned, I found this nutter on a judge show.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToWrXvheg5s
I agree with you, Dawn, the nutter didn't "get it." No personal responsibility. It was all victim blaming and contradiction ("not my fault because I wasn't there! The dog was chasing a squirrel!").
DubV, that video of Judge Milian was AWESOME!!! Ohmygoodness! It actually made me tear up a little bit. And that asshole defendant! "She knew!" UGH!
It was very endearing at the end there.
Judge Linda Sutcliffe made Liversidge the subject of a nine-month detention and training order which she suspended for two years.
Passing sentence she said: "If anybody needed an illustration of dangerous certain types of dogs are and of the need for the current legislation which has been passed in relation to certain breeds of dogs they would only need to look no further than this case."
Sharon, I love your postman story! Very interesting factoid about food/drooling and adrenaline, too. There is a couple about a quarter mile down from us that has 3 dogs, one of which is obvious pit, another pit mix. I hadn't walked down that way in quite some time, choosing the other direction because it had more hills. So, I discovered their new managerie one day when I decided to change my route. Those two pits made the most horrible snarling, growling, barking as I walked past, mouths gaping open to show their huge teeth, wiggling their butts and wagging their tails the whole time. They were so ferocious, barking so madly at me and not just running the fence but taking the fighting posture and putting full energy into every move, and they kept redirecting at each other with full teeth bared, "mock" fighting, making even more horrible noises. The third dog, some kind of mix, but no pit, never made a sound, but did "jaunt" along with them. He looked so out of place. The difference between him and the other two was night and day. The fence was wrought iron, and they could have easily jumped it. Normally I would walk to the end of the street and walk back, but this time I took the long circuitous route so as not to pass by them again. I know these people don't abuse these dogs or train them to fight, but why they allow them to behave like that to people just walking by is insane! I wonder how many other people in the neighborhood no longer walk past their house. Biscuits would work on the mutt, but I think the pits would just consider it an appetizer!
I hate that long list, and you would think that the Mail carriers would join the likes of DOGSBITE since they are often the symbol of a dogbite victim, to the point of parody. Surprising, it is not the case, they have steered clear away from any kind of BSL or dangerous dog kind of legislation, you would think their union would be rallying for awareness and lobbies to do something to fight for better workplace conditions for their employees. Instead, perhaps you too will get something in the mail that will read: Due to the recent numerous incidents with dog bites, including some fatal attacks and life debilitating injuries inflicted on our carriers, you may have to find some other means of getting your mail, such as a postal box, at your own expense. Maybe, what they are actually pushing for, is putting an end to personal delivery of mail, and for all of us to be forced to purchase a P.O. box.
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