Aranui dog problem painful for postman

Press, 3 July 1986, Page 8

Aranui dog problem painful for postman

By

LEE MATTHEWS

Aranui’s wandering dogs are causing a postman, Mr Malcolm Buxton, considerable pain. Mr Buxton was bitten on the lower left leg by a German shepherd dog in Eureka Street on Monday, only six weeks after another dog had bitten him. “I’ve got four distinct punctures nearly an inch deep on my leg,” he said. “I had to go to the doctor.” The dog’s owner had offered him a piece of sticking plaster and yelled at the dog. To add insult to injury, another dog tried to bite Mr Buxton yesterday. “It was snarling and snapping and wild-eyed; it meant business all right,” he said. He drove it away with his bicycle pump. ■ “It would have had me if I hadn’t.” Mr Buxton contends that the problem of wandering dogs in Aranui is getting worse.

The Christchurch City Council’s dog control supervisor, Mr Mike Shaw, said in “The Press” yesterday that Aranui had no more problems with dogs than other areas. Mr Buxton said some days he saw up to 50 dogs wandering loose, and many of these were German shepherds. The worst areas on his delivery route were Eureka Street, Hampshire Street, and Yarmouth Street. “I’m getting to the stage where I keep looking behind me, expecting an attack,” he said. “A fellow should be able to go about his job without contending with wild animals.” Mr Buxton said he qould refuse to deliver mail to an address where he knew there was a dangerous dog. “I can tell people that they have to pick up their mail from the post office. The thing is, most of these dogs are just wandering. They aren’t at any address.”

Mr Buxton said he had complained to the police about Monday’s attack and they had followed it up.

“I am complaining because there is a definite problem there and I hope something will be done.”