About 1,000 Australia Post workers have been attacked by household dogs over the past five months, the postal service has reported.
The figure comes as the service's Executive General Manager of People and Culture, Susan Davies, said there was a rising trend in dog-related incidents, with workers sustaining more severe injuries.
"We have actually seen an increase of 55 per cent in dog attacks since July this year," Ms Davies said.
"We're looking at seven incidents a day where our posties have been attacked by domestic dogs."
Earlier this month, Energex-contracted meter reader Kane Minion, 42, died after he was mauled to death in Logan, south of Brisbane by two dogs.
Ms Davies said posties had also suffered "horrific injuries" from "full-on attacks".
"We've had posties sustain a range of injuries, including puncture wounds, lacerations, scratches and bites," she said.
The attacks have also caused long-term psychological issues, she said.
"One of the things as well that we've seen is the mental health issues, the psychological issues that this causes after an attack," Ms Davies said.
"Someone who has loved dogs all of their life, posties who have had dogs and loved dogs become actually really scared of dogs after a dog attack."
Even the 'sweetest dogs' can be dangerous
Australia Post has reported 986 incidents in the last five months, compared to 1,587 in the 2021/22 financial year.
New South Wales recorded the highest number of dog incidents among posties with 351 cases, followed by Queensland with 281 and Western Australia with 183.
The areas with the highest incidents were the Gold Coast and Darra in Queensland, Midland in Western Australia and Warabrook, Strathfield and Tamworth in New South Wales.
"Given the relativity of the population, it's not surprising that New South Wales has actually seen the most numbers of dog bites," Ms Davies said.
She said even the "sweetest dogs" could be dangerous.
"One of the worst attacks that we ever saw was with two dachshunds," she said.
"It just goes to show you that you know what, whatever your dog is, keep it secured, keep it safe and keep our workers safe."
Australia Post said the most common locations of attacks were the front gate, letterbox, footpath and front door.
"I think it's the responsibility of everyone to make sure that dogs are secure," she said.
"A lot of our incidents occur outside of the property where dogs have either escaped or jumped barriers or boundaries."
Ms Davies said the postal service's priority was the safety of its delivery workers.
"Our posties are just trying to do their job and if they feel that a situation is unsafe when they approach a home, they will not make the delivery," Ms Davies said.
"We will actually cease deliveries to addresses where we have had an incident," she said.
Owners' responsibility
Georgie Caspar, RSPCA NSW Senior Manager of Animal Behaviour, said owners could help keep posties safe by ensuring their dogs were secured during delivery.
"The first thing is to make sure that your dog is not behind you when you open the door," she said.
"Ensure that you've got a safe place in the house or a secure area in the garden that your dog's happy to go to.
"Make sure that your fencing is secure, making sure if your dog is in the backyard, they can't get around to the front yard," Ms Caspar said.
Ms Caspar said dogs express fear, stress or anxiety by blinking, yawning, licking their lips, avoiding situations or barking and growling.
"If your dog is feeling stressed, I would help them to avoid the situation that's making them feel uncomfortable," she said.
"And then seek advice from your vet or from a qualified behaviour trainer or veterinary behaviourist on how to address the underlying issues."
