POSTIES and meter-readers are calling for people to secure their dogs this summer, with dozens of attacks and threats reported in Logan so far this year, and many more expected ahead of the busy Christmas period.
Australia Post said seven incidents involving dogs were reported locally in the past six months, while Energex said there had been 25 since November 2024.
Australia Post data suggests one in three incidents occurs on customer property, either at the front door or when the postie is entering or leaving a property.
One in three street incidents involved a Postie being chased by a dog.
To defend themselves, all posties now carry a citronella spray, which the postal service said worked as a deterrent in 90% of cases.
“Regardless of breed or temperament, we urge all owners to keep their dogs safely contained when expecting deliveries,” Australia Post safety manager Russell Munro said.
“While the rollout of citronella spray has helped in many situations, we’re still seeing far too many cases of aggressive dog behaviour and unfortunately can’t prevent all incidents from occurring.
“We’ve seen the number of cases increase over the past six months, which shows there’s still more work to be done to keep our posties safe.”
A coronial inquest into the death of an Energex meter reader at Greenbank in December 2022 was held in October this year.
The meter reader, 42-year-old Kane Minion, was mauled to death by two dogs on private property.
At the inquest, which investigated the circumstances around the attack and Mr Minion’s death, his family called for a new law that would force local governments to share dog information to boost safety for meter readers. The coroner is yet to hand down her findings.
Energex metering contracts manager Sarah Bradford said one of the most common safety incidents reported by meter-readers involved customers.
“The type of abuse and threatening behaviour being reported really does pose an additional risk to our crews that we don’t need, whether it’s meter readers, maintenance workers or in an emergency response situation.
“There is absolutely no excuse for abuse, and we want everyone to be safe at work – not only physically, but mentally.”
