SOUTHGATE, Mich. – Thousands of packages and letters are delivered every day to different homes out of a Southgate post office.
Eric Liptak was bit by a dog while he was out delivering mail.
“I heard, like, this bark growl, and all of a sudden I just felt this brush on the inside of my right knee,” Liptak said. “I looked down and felt some wetness on my leg. I looked down and there was blood all over my left leg.”
Liptak was OK, but he still has a scar. The threat of dog bites is a regular thing for mail carriers. USPS workers in Southgate are being trained on how to react in the event of a dog attack.
Hector Hernandez would rather train the homeowners and dog owners rather than USPS staff, but understands that’s not always possible. The information he’s providing is in hopes that no letter carrier gets bitten by a dog again.
The training appears to be working. The number of mail carriers bitten by dogs over the years appears to be going down. Liptak hopes homeowners will continue to do their part to keep him and other mail carriers safe.
Read: United States Postal Service works to train mail carriers, pet owners how to avoid dog attacks