Postman Evades Dog, Dodges Idiot Man (how much, boxer, rottweiler, bite) - Dogs - - City-Data Forum

brightdoglover · 06-23-2010, 06:50 AM

Dog owner accused of assault on postman

FITCHBURG -- A U.S. Postal Service letter carrier defended himself
against a charging dog, then fled the dog's owner who tried to run him
down with a pickup truck Friday, Sgt. Glenn Fossa said.

The dog pushed through a screen door on Hazel Street and the postman
pepper-sprayed it, Fossa said.

"The owner of the dog became upset," he said. "He went at the mail
carrier with his (truck)."

Joseph Burke, 26, of 10 Hazel St., is being charged with two counts of
assault with a dangerous weapon, Fossa said.
The dog's breed was not available Monday.

The postman is a friend of mine. He's a great big guy who works a route in a really crummy neighborhood full of druggies. He says there might be federal charges against the guy (because of the truck, not the dog).
Ah, Fitchburg, MA

DawnMTL · 06-23-2010, 08:14 AM

Scary!!! The dog's owner is definitely a few french fries short of a Happy Meal.

StarlaJane · 06-23-2010, 10:22 AM

Interesting. While I certainly can't condone the dog owner's behavior, this story reminds me of the "Would you attack someone to defend your dog" thread. Granted, the owner wasn't really defending his dog. However, he clearly loves his dog very much and didn't appreciate the postman pepper spraying it; I can't say that I wouldn't have had a similar reaction if someone had done that to my dog. I question the postman's actions (the article doesn't state that the dog actually tried to attack him, just that it pushed through a screen door). But, overall, I think that both parties demonstrated extreme behavior, and both should be reprimanded for behaving like hysterical ninnies.

DawnMTL · 06-23-2010, 12:33 PM

I can definitely understand *confronting* the mail carrier for pepper-spraying his dog, but trying to run him over with his truck? WOW!

I know that I'd be spitting mad too, but...

Anyway, I'd like to hear the whole story.

PacificFlights · 06-23-2010, 01:02 PM

If people don't want the dog sprayed, keep them confined or put your mailbox where the mailman won't have to come in contact with your dog. Dogs are not going to get sprayed if they are not close enough for the person to have fear. The mailman has no idea if a dog is friendly or not, so human nature is spray first before you find out how much the bite hurts. Had the dog been a pit and not a boxer and a girl scout selling cookies and not a mailman bet most would be hollaring that the dog should have been shot!

skel1977 · 06-23-2010, 01:39 PM

I agree with DandJ. I can understand why the man was upset his dog was peppered sprayed. I can also understand why the mailman peppered the dog though. The dog bust through the screen. It was not like the man left the dog outside unleashed. However chasing a guy with a truck is pretty stupid and he deserves whatever he gets.

rugerjitsu · 06-23-2010, 01:46 PM

i would have sprayed the owner too!!

MAK802 · 06-23-2010, 02:07 PM

I'm on the mailman's side. Last month, a mailman in San Diego died after a Rottweiler lunged at him and tried to bite him, ripping his uniform in the process. The mailman fell and hit his head on the curb and was pronounced dead a few days later. He left behind a wife and 3 young kids. I love dogs, but would under no circumstance put up with a dog that's aggressive towards humans. Not only is it morally wrong to allow a dog like that out of the house unmuzzled, it's a huge liability waiting to happen. Of course, the owners claim that this dog has never done anything like it before. At least they were very devastated and realized they were in the wrong, unlike in the above story, and euthanized the dog after this incident.

Mailman Killed on Route to be Remembered - NBCSANDIEGO.COM - TODAYshow.com (http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/37873644/ns/local_news-san_diego_ca/ - broken link)