Postmaster Speech — Dog Bite Prevention Speech for School Children
[Make the presentation light and fun. Even though this is a serious subject, children will respond to your being friendly and approachable. Be sure to tell the children what a postmaster is/does.]
Good morning boys and girls.
My name is [Name] and I’m your postmaster.
[Tell the children what a postmaster is/does.]
How many of you have dogs at home or have friends who own a dog? [Listen to responses.] Have you or any of your friends ever been bitten by a dog? [Listen to responses.] Well, I’ll bet you didn’t like it, did you?
At the Post Office™ where I work, the people who deliver your mail get bitten, too. Sometimes they have to go to the hospital and can’t do their job for a long time. The dog’s owner may have to pay a big hospital bill. And, the mail may not be delivered to that house until the owners promise to keep the dog fenced in.
I don’t want anybody at work to be bitten, and I don’t want any of you to get bitten, either. That’s why I’m here today, because I need your help.
There are several things you can do to help out. The most important thing is to stop your dog from getting outside and running loose. When you go outside, make sure to close the door tight, and when you are playing with your dog in the yard, make sure you close the gate so he does not get out.
When you see the letter carrier coming down your street, look around and make sure your dog is either inside or securely fenced away from the mailbox.
When the letter carrier gets to your house, let him or her put the mail in your mailbox. Never reach out to take the mail yourself, because, your dog might think the letter carrier is a threat to you even though we know that isn’t true.
After the letter carrier has delivered the mail and gone, you still need to watch out for loose dogs. Never step too close to a strange dog. Even if he looks friendly, he might still bite.
I am going to give each of you a list of things you can do to help keep dogs from biting your letter carrier, your friends, and yourself. I want you to take this list home and talk to your parents about it. See if they will help you keep your dog from getting outside.
If you do that, your letter carrier won’t have to worry about going to the hospital for a dog bite, and we can deliver everyone’s mail — safely and quickly.
