This Christmas, give your postie a present and make sure your dog is kept secure.
New data from Australia Post shows dog attacks on postal workers are on the rise, with more than 50 such incidents each week.
An average of 7.5 dog-related incidents have been recorded every day since July this year.
State-by-state, Queensland was the most dangerous state for posties, with 321 dog incidents recorded in that time period, followed by 306 in New South Wales.
There were 177 in Western Australia, 103 in Victoria, 68 in South Australia, nine in the Northern Territory, and five in Tasmania.
And with peak delivery time coming in the lead-up to Christmas, Australia Post is calling on its customers to help out.
“Our team of posties are working hard delivering to our customers in all parts of the nation, however, we need the support of dog owners to keep their dog secure and our posties safe,” Australia Post general manager safety and wellbeing Rod Maule said.
“We see a lot of incidents occur at the front door as our posties try to deliver packages, with dogs racing out from behind their owners.
“It takes just a second to secure your dog in another room, and it makes the world of difference to our team members.”
Australia Post has also issued postal workers with a digital hazard tracker that allows them to tag the location of a hazardous dog, meaning future carriers will get a warning as they approach the address.
(9 NEWS)
