What:

Recognition ceremony to honor Franklin Square Postal Letter Carrier Richard Blasland with a special hero award from the Postmaster General for saving a passerby and her pet dog from a ferocious dog attack.

Who:

Letter Carrier Richard Blasland Jr.
Acting Albany District Manager Thomas Kelley
Syracuse Postmaster Cameron Whitmore
Franklin Square Station Manager Janette Roskoff
Employees of Syracuse’s Franklin Station
A representative from the City’s Animal Control unit is expected to attend.

When:

Wednesday, November 19, 2014
8:30 am

Where:

Franklin Square Station
401 West Division Street, Syracuse

Details:

In the letter from the Postmaster General, Letter Carrier Blasland is recognized for his heroic response to saving a woman and her dog from a pit bull attack on Schuyler Street earlier this summer.     “Without hesitation, you came to their assistance and tried to get the pit bull to release the dog,” the letter notes, adding that the owner of the charging animal restrained her animal but it broke loose a second time.

“Again you came to their rescue.  While both the owner and her dog required medical attention, your actions prevented them from receiving more serious harm,” the Postmaster General wrote. 

This is an interesting twist on the traditional dog-bites-carrier story. 

The postal message of safety is the same.  In the Albany District, we have had more than 65 dog bites this past year.   Eleven were in Syracuse.    That does not include near misses, need-to-spray and other encounters that make the carrier’s job so very difficult.

We are also seeing an uptick in rural mail carriers who are getting bitten, as now – with more package deliveries that go to the door – we are leaving those vehicles and approaching households with animals.    Finally, we are in the busy season, so Sunday deliveries are not off the table.  And as the demand for Sunday packages continue to ramp up, the likelihood of seven-day package delivery here in CNY is not far off the grid.  We are approaching homes where awareness of the family pet as a dog bite concern may be new.

Of course, as our hero carrier underscores, dog bites are not limited to letter carriers.  Small children, the elderly, and the Postal Service letter carriers - in that order - are the most frequent victims of dog bites and attacks.  The American Humane Association reports that 66 percent of bites among children occur to the head and neck. 

This event is another opportunity to message safety, for all, and responsible pet ownership.