The worst state in the country for dog attacks on postal workers has been revealed, as Australia Post pleads with owners to keep their pooches reined in.
More than 1420 dog attacks on posties have been recorded nationwide in the past six months, amounting to 11 incidents a day on average.
Queensland had the most incidents, with 466, followed by New South Wales (408), Western Australia (215), Victoria (166), South Australia (114), the Northern Territory (23), Tasmania (16) and the Australia Capital Territory (15).
Australia Post said that while no single breed was identified as particularly aggressive, "smaller dogs" were more often involved.
Half of the dog attacks took place on customer properties, and one-third of them at the front door.
A further 34 per cent of attacks happened on the street, and of those eight per cent involved dogs with owners, and 26 per cent with unattended dogs.
Around 15 per cent of attacks took place when posties were putting mail in letterboxes.
"Customers must understand that for many posties, it can be stressful or triggering knowing that your delivery round may involve a dog that shows aggressive behaviour," Australia Post general manager of safety and wellbeing Rod Maule said.
"Australia Post is calling on dog owners to take responsibility for their pets."
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He urged dog owners to secure their dog safely in a back garden, on a leash, or in another room during mail delivery.
"If you are unable to restrain your dog securely, we suggest using our Parcel Lockers where possible," he said.
Posties will not make a delivery if they deem it unsafe, and will cease deliveries to a customer's home until the danger is fixed.
The worst locations for dog attacks in Australia
- Queensland (466) – Stafford, Darra, and Bundamba
- New South Wales (408) – Ingleburn, Tamworth and Lidcombe
- Western Australia (215) – Rockingham, Bunbury and Gwelup
- Victoria (166) - Healesville, Nunawading and Ferntree Gully
- South Australia (114) - Glynde, Edinburgh North and Salisbury South
- Northern Territory (23) - Winnellie, Palmerston and Katherine
- Tasmania (16) - Eastern Shore Hobart and Launceston
- Australian Capital Territory (15) - Fyshwick, Mitchell and Tuggeranong
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