Canada Post asks residents in Waterloo Region to keep dogs away from their carriers

It’s a rivalry as old as time: the mailman versus the family dog.

Now, Canada Post is looking to bring that long-enduring battle to an end.

The mail carrier is reminding residents in Waterloo Region to keep their dogs away from their employees as they make their daily rounds. The service said their employees deliver mail to approximately 200,000 homes across Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge every day and they normally run into dogs.

“Many of these households have dogs and our delivery agents encounter them every day while delivering mail and parcels,” said the release. “Our top priority is the safety of our employees, which includes safe access to mailboxes and the front door.”

In a dog bite awareness campaign, Canada Post said more than 500 personnel are bitten by dogs every year.

Some tips provided by Canada Post to dog owners include having your pet in a fenced backyard or tied up, making sure every gate and fence is closed, keeping dogs away from screen doors and being careful when answering the door when receiving the mail.