Dog Awareness Week 2016

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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A wide range of organisations and individuals are supporting the fourth annual Royal Mail Dog Awareness Week, which launched this morning and runs until Friday. It's key aim, once again, is to raise awareness of the issue of dog attacks and encourage responsible dog ownership.

Dave Joyce, the CWU national health, safety and environment officer, is leading the union’s contribution to the initiative and there are indications that the many years of campaigning are having a positive effect, with the latest statistics indicating a 10 per cent reduction in these incidents.

But despite this reduction, there were still some 2,600 reported attacks over the past year – equivalent to seven postmen and women a day – across the UK.

"This figure is still unacceptably high,” said Dave, adding: “Through initiatives such as Dog Awareness Week, we want to keep on driving those figures down.”

During this week, a wide range of activities will be taking place, including Royal Mail postmen and women speaking about their own experiences of dog attacks, dog wardens visiting a number of delivery offices across the country giving dog safety talks to workers, and posters will be up in all Royal Mail enquiry offices giving dog owners tips on how they can help.

This annual event always takes place at this time of year – early July – because dog attacks tend to rise during summer holidays and this is the ideal time to raise the issue.

“Most dog attacks on postmen and women occur at the doorstep of the dog's owner home,” Dave continued, adding: “The vast majority of our customers and their dogs aren't a problem but we want to make sure all owners fully understand the simple precautions that can prevent the pain for everyone concerned.”

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