Letterboxes are sometimes the bane of the postman/woman.
Why? Well, those forms of correspondence that require extra shove, provide silent, but aggressive canines a great opportunity to snap with the force of a crocodile. It’s a bigger problem than you might think. Apologetic owners usually reveal themselves smugly with dog-in-hand the following day. They caution the postman to be more careful next time. Silence is not always “golden”.
Last week I witnessed such an event. Blood is cheap! Fore (four?) fingers withdrawn in haste, ultimately leading to a rush to A & E and a long wait for treatment, leaving a painful, throbbing protrusion. All caused by a seemingly cute little tail wagging dog… Fashionable dogs can be so aggressive.
On average around nine postmen and women a day are attacked by dogs across the UK with over 3,300 attacks taking place from April 2013 to April 2014, an 8 per cent increase on the previous year. Some of the injuries are horrific. New legislation means owners can now be prosecuted for dog attacks that take place on private property. Dog owners that alarm postmen face criminal prosecution since October 20, 2014 with fines of up to £20,000 or the prospect of theirs pets being seized. So dog owners beware, the postman is biting back! The Royal Mail last year launched a Dog Awareness Week to raise visibility of the problem.
The private letterbox dates back to 1849, when the Royal Mail first encouraged people to install their own letterboxes to facilitate the delivery of mail. Before then, letterboxes of a similar design had been installed in the doors and walls of post offices for people to drop off outgoing mail. An example of such a wall box (originally installed in the wall of the Wakefield Post Office) is dated 1809 and believed to be the oldest example in Britain. It is now on display at the new Wakefield Museum.
Postmen will be glad to learn that they have nothing more to fear from my letterbox than a slight need for maintenance.
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