A Detroit postal worker was attacked by a dog last week, and a video captured residents trying to help get the dog off him.
A video posted on Facebook shows the dog attacking the 52-year-old man while a woman hits the dog with a broomstick.
The man who was recording the footage then gets involved and throws a trash container, a spatula, and a steering wheel lock at the dog.
The dog eventually released the postal worker, but it charged at a neighbor.
“That’s bad,” neighbor Kim Arnold told Fox2. “And to know that it was on my street, that’s what makes it even worse.”
In another report, Fox2 said the owner of the dog was ticketed. Detroit Animal care and control captured the animal.
The postal worker is expected to be fine following the attack.
A man who wished to remain anonymous said the dog, which is named Boss Hog, belongs to the boyfriend of his aunt.
“From what I know, basically is my cousin was leaving for work and he slipped past him and ran outside,” he said.
He didn’t say what breed the dog is.
Kristina Rinaldi from Detroit Dog Rescue said that if one thinks a dog is about to attack, it’s best to remain calm.
“You never want to scream, you never want to run or provoke that dog,” said Rinaldi. “If that dog wants to chase something, it is going to run after you.
“You are going to want to cover your ears and your head as much as you can. You will not want to flail around; you are not going to want to scream. I know it is going to be scary and it is going to be really hard. You want to stay as still and quiet as you can to make that dog redirect and not pay attention to you,” she added.
US Postal Service Responds
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) issued a statement, saying it is investigating.“Unfortunately attacks such as this provide the postal service an opportunity to remind dog owners that it is their responsibility to restrain their pet in order to avoid attacks against our employees while they are in performance of their duties.”
It added, “When a mail carrier delivers mail or packages to your door, put your dog in a separate room and close that door.”
“Teach your children and family members to not take mail directly while the family pet is nearby. The animal may see that as a threatening gesture,” it said. “Obedience training can teach dogs proper behavior and help owners control their dog in any situation.”
“The USPS is using technology to help keep mail carriers safe. When a customer uses the Package Pickup application on usps.com, customers are asked to indicate whether there is a dog at the address. That information is relayed through the delivery scanners,” the statement reads. “If a mail carrier feels threatened, the owner may be asked to pick up mail at a nearby post office. And if a dog is roaming the neighborhood, the neighbors may also be asked to pick up mail at the Post Office.”
