Salesman Richard Brereton speaks of dangerous dog attack
A SALESMAN is campaigning for a change in the law after the end of his finger was bitten off by a dog.
Richard Brereton was posting a leaflet through a letterbox when a Staffordshire Bull Terrier attacked him.
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ANGER- Richard Brereton had the end of his finger bitten off by a bull terrier
The 49-year-old needed surgery on his right hand last year and the injury has left him unable to write properly.
Now he wants dog owners to be forced to take more responsibility to protect people from their pets even when they are in their own homes.
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Mr Brereton, of Dunsford Avenue, Sneyd Green, said: "I was on a terrace street in Milton. The dog was right by the door – as soon as I put my hand through it grabbed me.
"It was quite a shock. Luckily I was near a pub and the people there phoned for an ambulance.
"I spent four months having it sorted. I had an operation to repair it.
"My index finger is now half-an-inch shorter, and I can't write properly. The end of my finger is totally numb."
Police visited Mr Brereton after the attack, but he was told the dog owner could not be prosecuted because the animal was on the owner's property.
Mr Brereton said: "The police officer who came round said he was embarrassed he could not pursue the case further because of a lack of legislation.
"It could have been a child delivering a newspaper, and you hear a lot about postmen who end up in hospital because of dogs.
"If there had been a cage on the inside of the letterbox, or an outside letterbox, it wouldn't have happened. Even a 'beware of the dog' sign would have helped."
Mr Brereton has sent his views on dangerous dogs to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
The law on dangerous dogs is currently under review, and a public consultation is underway.
Mr Brereton added: "I have contacted Defra to say I think the law should be changed, particularly with regard to letterboxes.
"It must cost the NHS so much money dealing with attacks like these.
"Something should be done. If you have a dog it should not have access to your letterbox."
Mr Brereton's wife Jill, aged 46, who works in a coffee shop, said: "No consideration is given by the law to the people who are just going about their daily job.
"Why should they be punished when they are doing nothing wrong?
"It's not fair the pain Richard has had to go through. We are not people who want to claim, he just wants a change in the legislation.
"It would be a small price to pay for a dog owner to put a cage inside the door or an outside letterbox on the wall."
Nationally, the number of dog attacks requiring hospital admissions has risen from 2,915 in 1997/98 to 6,118 in 2010/11.
The Commercial Workers Union (CWU), which represents postal staff, says 6,000 workers are attacked by dogs each year.
CWU health and safety officer Dave Joyce said: "We've been campaigning and lobbying for changes to the current law because it doesn't go far enough to tackle the issue of dangerous dogs."
Comments
by jstaffs2
Monday, August 13 2012, 1:26PM
“Although obviously I feel sorry for the poor chap he has lost part of his finger, I am sorry but this is an obvious occupational hazard for anyone who has to post things through a letterbox. I couple of moments thought may have prevented this...using a folder or piece of card to hold the box open while you side the communication inside works wonders!”
by GlobalComnMan
Tuesday, June 19 2012, 8:36PM
“"Obviously people would laugh at a some one who does not know the difference between a large cat and a big cat. They would definitely laugh if an ass lived in the house and if it is advertised. LOL"”
by E_D_Wivens
Tuesday, June 19 2012, 2:24PM
“The presence of a dog has been proven over and over again to act as a deterrent to burglars and thieves. Even the most cursory glance at reports over the years regarding what puts burglars off reveals that dogs are as good if not better than expensive burglar alarms and security systems. A dog cannot be considered dangerous if it is defending its owners property, which is what this dog was doing. I understand where the guy is coming though, but he has got a bit of an axe to grind.
My 24lb Maine **** cat has been also known to attack postmen when they stick their hands in the letterbox; we did put a cage round it because he has a habit of tearing post up, especially if it's in plastic wrappings, the vile animal, but he managed to pull the cage off one day and once he'd figured out how to do it, just kept on doing it every time that I repaired it. So we put the postbox outside, and put up a "beware of the cat" sign, which people think is hilarious until they see the monstrous creature hissing and growling at them.”
by camband
Tuesday, June 19 2012, 10:09AM
“@ ...the last two posters.
Of course. I am in agreement with you both -re them not being trespassers.
I posed the question 'indirectly' to MusicHallFan
Monday, June 18 2012, 10:52AM (please reference for clarity of purpose).
And.... to make clear my stance on the issue -(in reference to my initial comment -'the law is and ass'....) -Because, letterboxes' -originally designed for receiving letters, have slowly over the years, lost some of their original purpose, and cater for a myriad of 'communicating material', from the local 'Church Flyer' re a direct link to God, or advertising their local Jumble Sale, to now -in the present day -'Food outlets' of a mesmerising variety, which means the 'onslaught' being delivered by a myriad of all sorts of people -and not just as originally intended -the POSTMAN.
Now, given the present state of affairs, is it legal, in combating this onslaught to 'employ/allow' a dog, whose owner knows it is very likely to bite the hand/fingers that come through the 'letter'-box -in order to 'deter such unwanted material' -? Is it a civilised way of going about things?
Perhaps Parliament, in the light of this growing menace, should, instead of relying on dangerous dogs to cure the problem, bring out legislation to ban advertising garbage from being pushed through our 'letter'-boxes -and prosecute anyone for doing so.
I'd vote for that. In the meantime, one way of stopping it, or certainly cutting it down to a minimum, would be to restrict all material coming through our 'letter'-boxes, to Royal Mail Postal Services -thus meaning a 50p 'charge' on each item (being the cost of a 2nd class stamp)...”
by Exserviceman
Tuesday, June 19 2012, 9:49AM
“"I rather think that all dog owners should have a warning that they have a dog nailed to there front door.
gerbstoke
I'm a dog lover and think that people who nail dogs to their doors should be prosecuted. OK that's not what you meant but that's what it looked like at first sight and it made me laugh at least.”
by MusicHallFan
Tuesday, June 19 2012, 9:24AM
“Camband, The paper boy/girl is not a trepasser. By asking for your papers to be delivered, you are inviting them onto your property to fulfil that contract. It is people who enter onto your property without your invitation who are trespassers e.g. door to door salesman, freepaper deliverers, leafleteers, etc.”
by Cheshire2010
Tuesday, June 19 2012, 9:21AM
“Camband - surely if you have a dedicated paper boy/girl then you're paying for that service therefore you are effectively giving them permission to be on your land so that they may deliver the item(s) you have ordered and are paying for?
Who asks for marketing rubbish to be put through the door? No one.
There are free newspapers around but you can opt out of those, all you need to do is call the paper and say you don't want one.
This was just about hopping on the 'dangerous' dogs bandwagon and the poor dog just happened to be a Staffie. I have caged pets and if people put their fingers through the bars, they get bitten - are my little rodents 'dangerous' as well? Same principal really...”
by camband
Tuesday, June 19 2012, 9:01AM
“@ vasbert: quote; "Been a while since i was a paperboy but i don't recall needing to put my fingers through the letterbox to get my deliveries done.... ' unquote.
That doesn't answer my question.... which was:- 'Are Paper Boys/Girls -trespassers?'”
by mabazaritchie
Tuesday, June 19 2012, 8:48AM
“Im sure you can use use that gammy finger to scrarch your ring piece..”
by nelsonl
Tuesday, June 19 2012, 5:25AM
“I love the comments on this post....
Everyone deserves green arrows because everyone on here lives in the real world, and not never never land like the prat who shoved his hand through or the sentinal for making it headlines.
think about this, isnt it funny that postmen must post at that house 4-5 times a week , and no ones been bitten!!!!, they must know a dogs there. Yet a salesman who is after work and pushing junk mail through gets bitten, seems a bit iffy to me that, i wonder how much compensation he is claiming for this bite? It all seems rather odd to me.
My dog is not vicious but is quite big , and as i said anyone on here could come here, walk straight through my gate and hed lick you , the only harm he would do is to jump up and catch his nails in your clothes, he wants no much love he wouldnt leave you alone, and when he brings his tigger fluffy toy to you, you have to play with him with it.
i will have a dog sign put up, but if i told the truth it would read "big soft staffordshire bull terrier, beware of his licks and tigger the toy" im sure all burglars would be scared off by that.
I have to keep my gate locked because he walks off with anyone , anyone on here could walk up the path, put a lead on him and hed walk off with you , and youd have a family pet.
sorry for going on :( , but i just love it how the sentinal expected people to be saying how much this dog should be put down etc etc , and its back fired. Up yours sentinal , and the salesman, and watch yours hands in future, you might stick one through where there is a real vicious dog which would take the lot off.
thanks everyone on here for all the great posts, even the one about the giant cat lol.”