Police: Mail carrier, delivery driver, attacked by dogs in Dedham last week

DEDHAM, Mass. — Authorities in Dedham are reminding pet owners to not leave their dogs unattended around couriers and postal workers after two people were attacked within the last week.

The Dedham Animal Control says the victims were a USPS letter carrier and a UPS delivery driver. The severity of the attacks are unknown.

Officials say it’s important not to give your dog access to the path of delivery services when they’re alone.

“Even the nicest of dogs, with an established relationship with your routine letter or package delivery person, is risky,” the department wrote in a social media post. “Dogs are often natural protectors of homes and their masters, so please don’t minimize the margin for error.”

USPS regulations state that a letter carrier should not attempt to deliver mail to any address where an unrestrained dog is present. Postal workers have the ability to refuse mail delivery to customers if they feel unsafe at their address, meaning the customers now have to get their mail at the post office.

UPS has a policy that drivers are to honk their horn if a dog is present to get the attention of the owners, and drivers are not faulted for not delivering to an address because of an unleashed animal.

In 2022, Dedham had an incident where a substitute mail carrier was bitten by a dog for not carrying a “cookie,” which the dog normally received from the regular mail carrier, according to officials. Since then, USPS has instilled a policy that carriers can not carry treats in their pockets for animals.

Dedham Police say they report all incidents of dog bites or attacks that harm or have the potential to harm delivery drivers and letter carriers in an effort to protect them.

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