Deputies responded to Flora Ave. for a report of a dog bite shortly before 4pm on Monday, April 17. The initial call was for female with “lacerations to her arms.” Upon arrival, Deputies discovered a mail carrier was attacked and bitten by a dog.
According to the Sheriff's report, the victim was delivering mail to the mailbox just outside the front door of the house. When she walked up to the house, the dog either pushed to door open or the door wasn't latched and the dog came out and bit the carrier, Carol Brummitt, in her forearm.
The carrier was treated on the scene by New Carlisle Medics and transported herself to Huber ER.
The dog was ordered to be quarantined for 10 days.
This is the second dog attack on a Postal worker in New Carlisle this year. This incident prompted the following letter to the editor from Thomas R. Pennartz, Postmaster New Carlisle, OH.
In April, the United States Postal Service promoted National Dog Bite Prevention Week. I am writing to ask our customers to extend their efforts and help make this “National Dog Bite Prevention Year.”
Pet owners’ efforts are critical when you consider the number of Postal Service employees attacked by dogs last year reached 6,755 – more than 200 higher than the year before. Within the New Carlisle Post Office, there have been 2 dog attacks since the beginning of the year.
My concern is not only for our employees, but with the general population as well. Here are three critical points to remember:
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If a letter 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. Dogs have been known to burst through screen doors or plate-glass windows to attack visitors. Dog owners should keep the family pet secured.
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Parents should remind their children and other family members not to take mail directly from letter carriers in the presence of the family pet, as the dog may view the letter carrier handing mail to a family member as a threatening gesture.
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The Postal Service places the safety of its employees as a top priority. If a letter carrier feels threatened by a dog, or if a dog is loose or unleashed, the owner may be asked to pick up mail at a Post Office until the letter carrier is assured the pet has been restrained. If the dog is roaming the neighborhood, the pet owner’s neighbors also may be asked to pick up their mail at the area’s Post Office.
I am asking everyone to become a responsible pet owner during the coming summer in order to ensure the safety of all of our citizens. Together, we can safeguard all from unnecessary and potentially devastating dog attacks.
Thank you for your help with this very important issue.
Sincerely,
Thomas R. Pennartz
Postmaster New Carlisle, OH.
