Posties across the country will be quietly chuckling to themselves after a Jack Russell dog – not exactly known for their love of postal workers – ended up with its mouth glued shut after devouring a direct mail pack.
According to a report in the Devizes Gazette & Herald, a vet had to carry out an emergency procedure on the dog who had its mouth cemented up after its saliva reacted with the paper to create a strong adhesive.
Vet Scott Carpenter had to anaesthetise the dog and then spent 45 minutes using warm water and dental tools to gently remove the glue. He told the newspaper: “This emergency was very unusual – nothing like this had ever happened at our practice before. When his owners called us and said he couldn’t open his mouth, we expected it to be an injury from a stick – not something like this.
The dog’s owners did not want to be named but, according to the paper, are keen to warn others about the dangers direct mail can pose to canines.
To many, the sight of a dog attacking a postie may seem more reminiscent of a Tex Avery cartoon, but with over 3,000 attacks recorded against Royal Mail workers a year, the postal union maintains it is no laughing matter.
Changes to the guidelines were adopted in 2013 by judges and magistrates in England and Wales, meaning that owners who allow their dog to be dangerously out of control could be slapped with an 18-month prison term if someone is injured.
