While you might love the thought of a dog excitedly greeting you at the door every time you get home, not everyone might feel the same.
I mean, particularly if it’s not their dog – that’s pretty fair enough. And, as the cartoons depict well, the posties are often in this mix.
We’ve seen them shown as rivals in enough kids’ shows and films but unfortunately, the reality is that over 2,000 Royal Mail staff were attacked by dogs in 2024/25 (according to the service).
So, millions of Brits across the UK are being urged to put a vital sign in their window as part of its ‘Dog Awareness’ push.
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Unsurprisingly (sorry cat people), dogs are said to be the most popular pet in our nation, with 31 percent of households owning at least one.
And the UK Pet Food’s Pet Data Report in 2024 put the dog population at approximately 13.5 million.
So yeah, that’s millions of four-legged friends that the Royal Mail has to be wary of as posties might not know what the temperament of each pup will be.
Available on the postal service’s site, people are able to print out a postcard to go in their front window that reads: “I HAVE A DOG. Please wait whilst I secure my dog before opening the door.”
Ideally, you just want this to be somewhere visible for when you’re getting a delivery with the idea of it being that it lets them know you’ve got a dog and gives you a chance to secure them before you answer.
“Even the most lovable dog can be a danger to postal workers,” Royal Mail said. “Dogs are territorial by nature and if they feel they need to protect their family, they can become unpredictable. Please help us to deliver your post safely by keeping your dog secure and out of the way before the post person arrives.”
Attacks on Posties
On 30 June last year, Royal Mail announced that 2,1975 dog attacks on its staff were reported over the past year. This marked a 2 percent increase compared to the previous reporting period.
Essentially, this amount equates to 42 attacks each week across the UK, with some leading to permanent and disabling injuries.
There were 74 significant injuries recorded in 2024/25 (this compares to 82 reported in 2023/24).
Nearly half of the dog attacks (1,005) took place at the front door while 606 took place in the garden, drive or yard. There were 183 attacks in the street or road.
And 403 injuries were suffered through the letterbox as Royal Mail explains: “Letterbox attacks were the subject of a 2020 High Court ruling that stated dog owners (or those in care of a dog) can be prosecuted if their pets have free access to the letterbox and cause injury to any delivery operative, whether the owner is at home or not.”
Royal Mail’s suggestions
The postal service lists the following to help ‘protect your postie’:
· Never open the door to a postie when your dog is not secured away
· Invest in a letter cage or external delivery point to stop bites through the letterbox
· Close doors and gates to prevent loose dogs reaching the delivery point
· Your mail can be suspended if a safe delivery point is not provided
Jess Battison