Mansfield mail carrier injured from dog bites on Mulberry Street
A Mansfield mail carrier suffered injuries Wednesday morning when a dog bit her while she was delivering mail in the area of Mulberry Street.
According to a Mansfield police report, a mail carrier was delivering mail to a residence in the 400 block of North Mulberry Street at 9:19 a.m. when a dog ran past her out the door and bit her on her left arm and right leg.
Due to Ohio House Bill 343, also known as Marsy’s Law, the victim's identity is not being released by police.
No information was immediately available regarding the mail carrier's condition Friday. The News Journal reached out to the victim's family Friday.
By the time the Richland County Dog Warden's Office arrived on scene, the dog had been confined by owner in the home and the victim had already been transported for medical care, according to a report from the dog warden's office.
Dog's owner taken to jail on unrelated warrant
A woman, the dog's owner, showed signs of intoxication, according to police.
The dog owner, when told she had an active warrant, went back inside the residence, shut the front door and locked it. An officer told her to open the door and she did not until an officer kicked it twice. She opened the door and was placed under arrest, the police report said.
The 42-year-old woman was taken to the Richland County Jail on charges of intoxication, a warrant for a charge of failure to appear, obstructing official business and violation of vicious dog ordinance, according to the police report.
The Richland County Dog Warden's Office responded to the scene and placed the dog under quarantine, the police report said.
USPS spokeswoman: Tips to prevent dog bite injuries
Naddia Dhalai, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Postal Service in Cleveland, provided four tips to prevent dog bite injuries:
Door delivery: If a carrier delivers mail or packages to your front door, place your dog in a separate room and close that door before opening the front door. Some dogs push through screen doors or plate-glass windows to attack visitors. Dog owners must keep the family pet secured. Never take mail directly from carriers in the presence of the family pet, as the dog may see this as a threatening gesture.
Electronic fencing: Carriers may assume, if they see no physical fence around a property, that the property is animal-free. This can be a dangerous mistake. Postal Service officials request that you keep your dog restrained or inside when the mail is delivered. Although the electronic fence may keep your dog from wandering, it does not protect your carrier, who must enter your property to deliver the mail. Even homes with curbside mailboxes may have oversized packages or signature-needed items that require the carrier to approach a doorstep and cross the boundaries of the electronic fence. This poses a serious risk to carrier safety.
Dog in the yard: Make sure your dog is properly restrained on a leash and away from where your carrier delivers the mail. If the carrier deems a residence unsafe because of an unrestrained dog, delivery service can be interrupted. When service is interrupted at an address or in a neighborhood, all parties involved will have to pick up mail at their local post office. Service will be restored once assurance has been given that the animal will be confined during regular delivery hours.
Tracking: Dog owners who have access to postal notification features, such as Informed Delivery for letter mail and package tracking, are urged to use these features to determine when the carrier is on their way and to ensure their dog has been properly restrained. Expecting a postal package delivery on a Sunday? Postal officials urge dog owners to restrain their animals on Sundays as well, as more residences now receive deliveries throughout the weekend.
lwhitmir@gannett.com
419-521-7223
X (formerly Twitter): @lwhitmir
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Postal Service mail carrier in Mansfield OH injured from dog bites
