The Pony sent me a text and picture on Friday afternoon. Let the record show that it was 10 days after he suffered a dog bite on the job. Still had a couple of antibiotic pills remaining to take from that injury.
"Eff people! Four unleashed dogs = four streets on that loop not getting mail."
"Serves them right!"
"Yeah. Worst house on the route. Has one of those loose at least once a week, is the house where one snapped its leash. It's two houses down from where I park for the loop, so when they're loose, none of the places get mail unless I have time to dismount the three other streets. Since there's no way to walk them without going by that house."
Also let the record show that there's a leash law in the city of Backroads, which is where The Pony delivers mail. The Pony's manager has complained to the city numerous times about them having a dog problem. Which they deny.
This picture was taken out the window of The Pony's USPS vehicle.
I see three dogs there when I zoom in. Maybe I missed the fourth, but two of these dogs are pretty big. Nothing I would want jumping on me or taking a chomp on my extremities. Postal workers can fill out a dog card or cite animal interference when wildlife or tame life make them feel unsafe to deliver the mail.
Not sure how much I updated The Pony's injuries, but here's what his bites looked like four days after the last attack:
The Pony said the ointment he got at Urgent Care made the wound look dried-out and scabby. The puncture was still leaking fluid, and hurt a lot. With his hand not "feeling right" when gripping the mail. Like a delay in getting the sensation.
The upper arm injury was also part of the bite. The Pony first thought it was just a scratch from a paw, but in re-enacting the event, determined that it was actually a bite.
"When I bend my arm like I had it during the attack, the lower and upper arm line up exactly to make one bite."
USPS policy is for carriers to put their mail satchel between themselves and a biting dog. They are told this during their training. I thought it was from days when satchels were actually leather, and could provide protection. The Pony says the nylon satchels are effective if you have time to use it as taught.
"We're supposed to put our arm down in the satchel. It's even better if we have a lot of mail in there. It acts as padding so the dog can't get a grip. But even without mail, it will keep the bite from being worse. I barely had time to get my satchel up. But that dog couldn't get a good bite, except for that one tooth. I was lucky the people were there to get it off me, and that it didn't knock me down when it jumped to bite me."
Anyhoo... I can understand how The Pony might be dog-shy so soon after his attack, with his wounds not yet completely healed. But it's also common sense that you don't get out and traipse across the territory of three loose dogs when you don't know their temperament or rabies vaccination status.
There's a reason several streets in Backroads were denied home mail delivery a year or two ago, and a set of outdoor post office boxes built for them to receive mail. It's a case of the few impeding the rights of the many.
If all the normal sensations in his arm do not return, I hope he reports that to a doctor.
ReplyDeleteThose dogs look scary!
The Pony said at the initial exam, they last-minute asked if he had any numbness or tingling. At the time he didn't, but later that night at home, his arm was tingling. I'm hoping it's just a matter of the nerves being irritated by the swelling and then the healing.
DeleteHis arm isn't numb, like half my chin and lip when a dentist cut through a nerve. He said it would take six weeks to six months to grow back together. It was six weeks to the day! Feeling started again with days of tingling, like when a numbing shot wears off.
The scary part to me is that there are THREE dogs. Not a fair fight for a nylon satchel and The Pony.
Gees, those people should be ticketed for having those big dogs loose. I wouldn't want to walk past them either and I love dogs.
ReplyDeleteThe Pony says the fine is $85 per dog per incident. I know the city has a dog catcher and a dog pound, because they have dogs listed for adoption in the local online paper most weeks. I guess it will take somebody to complain every time those dogs are loose. The Pony said he swung back by there to see if the dogs were inside, and two were tied up, but the third still roaming. So no mail delivered on those streets.
DeleteI also don't blame The Pony one bit for not getting out of his vehicle. It seems that puncture may have nicked a nerve which will take longer to heal.
ReplyDeleteThose backroads people may deny there is a problem with loose dogs but that photo doesn't lie!
The Pony says there's a hard knot under the skin where that puncture is healing. So maybe that's pressing on the nerve. And might explain why the lower arm didn't show much bruising, if it's under the surface.
DeleteI think the city officials don't want to admit their problem. A private citizen might call a news station with an investigative reporter to look into it, showing people's bites and medical bills, and the loose lurking dogs. The Pony wouldn't do that because it's not his style, and can't do it because it would probably have repercussions for his job.
Someone like me needs to go to the officials and pitch a fit until they do their job! When I say someone like me, I mean someone who will be relentless and they will do something just to shut that someone up!
ReplyDeleteWe would welcome you! Hick might even fix the spigot for our well pump. I'm sure he has a way to feed you electricity for your camper. We would even shut Scarlett and Jack up in the garage so your dogs could roam unmolested. Except for escape artist Toni Louise.
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