Letter Carriers keep America’s Dogs in check – Another reason not to deny the value-added social benefits of the Mailman

By Mel Carriere

When was the last time you saw an honest to goodness dog catcher chasing down some rabid, runaway hound in a neighborhood where you live or deliver mail to?  Come to think of it – when was the last time you actually saw a stray dog terrorizing passersby?  Unless you live in certain parts of Detroit, Michigan, where I understand dog packs roam unimpeded or unabated, dangerous dogs running loose on the streets of America are not something that people in this country have to deal with much.  Although I’m sure your local animal control officers would love to receive your accolades for keeping you safe from canine terrors, in reality I think most of the credit goes again to that unique, multi-talented and multi-tasking hero, your United States Postal Service letter carrier.

Americans by and large don’t have to worry about doggies nipping at their ankles when out for an evening stroll because the mailman is making sure these canine cretins are inside the house or behind the fence where they belong.  It is a byproduct of delivering the mail.  If a dog is loose when the letter carrier goes by and he or she cannot get to the mailbox then that dog owner’s mail is going to be taken back to the post office and held until the customer goes in and signs a letter saying that the dog will be restrained.  A second offense means the mailbox will be moved out to the curb, and the third strike is the death penalty – no more mail until doggie do us part.  People don’t want that.  They like to get their mail conveniently at home without having to bother to drive and pick it up at a PO Box.  So for the most part Americans keep their dogs inside, and that is why that even though America’s streets may echo with the baying and howling of canines of every pedigree, these dogs are safely restrained and cannot escalate their angst from barking into biting.  True, there are dangerous neighborhoods where dangerous dogs are on the prowl, but these are usually the ones that are delivered to by junior letter carriers who don’t have the experience, or are too afraid to deal with the problem.

I’m not knocking animal control officers by trying to say that these people don’t play an important role in keeping animals in check.  I’m just pointing out that like a lot of government bureaucracies the local animal control office is desperately understaffed these days, and the outings of these officers are limited by budget constraints to tracking down those really dangerous rogue beasts that even the dog owners cannot handle.

That’s okay, because America’s letter carriers continue to fill the void and pick up the slack.  So if people really want to turn over mail delivery to a strictly by the bottom-line company that dispatches low wage employees that don’t care about the neighborhoods they service because they are delivering to a different one every day, then the consequences of such an ill advised action need to be accepted.  Letter carriers fill a lot of different niches that are above and beyond the call of duty, and there is no way to calculate these extra social benefits in dollars and cents.  How many shut-ins are assisted by or even have their lives saved because of letter carriers?  How many lost children get home safely because the mailman spots them, knows where they live, and calls their parents?  How many criminals are scared out of committing a crime because the letter carrier is keeping a vigilant eye on them?  And how many attacks by vicious dog attacks are forestalled before they start because the letter carrier is making sure the neighborhoods he or she delivers to do not become havens for unrestrained pooches?

All of these are value added benefits built into the price of a stamp that people don’t often think about.  It’s a small price to pay for safety, and it’s something Americans need to seriously consider before supporting politicians who seek to dismantle this fantastic institution.

 

Image from:  https://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2010/pb22284/html/kit.htm