Covemastah
Hoopah drives the boat Chief !!
never hit a dog in 14 yrs of pkg. but had the extreme pleasure of delivering the remains {ashes} of this pain in the ass little pooch to two gay guys who had interior design bus. on my rte lol 
Dog Killer!
- Thread starter Harley Rider
- Start date
Big Babooba
Well-Known Member
Once I was covering for another driver and nailed a chocolate lab with the front bumper of a P500, he lived, but his head was all swollen...lol. 2 cats and countless birds and squirrels KIA. One of those cats I felt awful about. Pulled up to the house, delvd, went back and looked at the map for a second and took off down the dead street to turn around in cul-de-sac. When I drove back by the house, right in front of the mailbox, to my horror was a lil fluffy white cat. I didn't even feel the "bump" Called sup and explained, he said "Keep rollin" Some poor kid probably came home from school that day to find, Snowball all mangled in front the mailbox....
The mailman probably got blamed.
I have been bitten twice, both times by small dogs while the lady of the house was assuring me that they wouldn't bite. I have backed down many many big dogs in back yards and discovered that talking to them quietly in a calm voice while moving slowly to the back porch, and then back out the gate, usually works really well. Just keep your eyes open and look around a lot with your DIAD out in front of you and you can use most big breed dogs inbred lack of true aggression towards people to your advantage. They go crazy, bark a lot, but don't really want to take you on as long as you quietly speak with them and move at right angles without fear. I have bashed a few in the nose with the old style big DIADS when they lunged at me and after a try or two they soon realized their jaws couldn't get to me. What are they gonna do? Pull a gun? A true attack dog is a different scene, and country dogs are different than the city dogs I'm describing as well. The strength of pitbulls is incredible and I haven't ever tried to face off an angry one. I don't have much fear of dogs but I was scared witless one day when I walked up on a front porch full of clutter and bent over to place a box behind a planter. I heard a bark so huge and deep that it literally gave me an instant full on shot of adrenaline and I turned instantly to see not one but two Bull Mastiffs both of which were easily two hundred pounds. I used to say that NO dogs scared me but it changed that day and every hair on my body was standing straight up. Their jaws are huge, each was actually bigger than I was, and I know that dogs can pack together to take you down having grown up with many different breeds as a kid. Luckily they were really pretty easy going and let me back off the porch, muttering apologies, and get back to my package car while issuing a few more thunderous barks. I had so much adrenaline that a few minutes later my legs were wobbling so bad I could hardly use the clutch or stand up and my hands were shaking like I had palsy. I think that the meanest breed is probably the Chow. Weimeraners, Dobermans, Collies, and a few other breeds are sort of one person dogs and generally not friendly to anyone else. Many Pitbulls, and German Shepherds, of course, are sweet dogs by contrast and usually have to be trained to be mean- either by a person or if put in close quarters every day with another mean dog.
Dirty Savage
Paranoid Android
I have thankfully not hit or killed anything while on road. I have only ever been bitten once and that was by a THREE-LEGGED CHIHUAHUA!!!!! LOL! Didn't do any damage and the owner was this sweet little old lady and I didn't have the heart to make a stink about it.
We've all heard throughout our lives about how much dogs supposedly hate the mailman and working for UPS I tend to think this is true. One thing I have noticed that is really bizarre is that I can go to a friend's house in my uniform after work or whatever and their dog will bark at me, and not in a nice way either. This could be a dog I have contact with on a weekly basis. Funny thing is is that I am reasonably sure I could go to this same friends house at 3 am and kick the door in and their dog probably wouldn't even bat an eye, as I go to this friends house in my street clothes and I get nothing but affection from his dog. Weird.
The other day I had a very, very close call. I was at this house that I deliver to about once a month. Every time I go to the back door and leave the package. The other day I went around the back and found the inside back door open. So I knocked. Out of the corner of my eye I see a shape coming out of nowhere. Turn my head - and this was all happening in slow motion by the way - and this ball of fur and teeth is flying right at me! My hands go up to block the dog with the package and just then the chain/rope went taut and the dog was snapped out of mid-air literally millimetres from me. I just ran the hell out of there and the worst part was that I forgot to leave the package so I had to go back!
And yeah, how many times have you heard from a customer that their dog didn't bite. My response is always, "gee, sir, if I had a dollar for every time I heard that I wouldn't be working for UPS".
We've all heard throughout our lives about how much dogs supposedly hate the mailman and working for UPS I tend to think this is true. One thing I have noticed that is really bizarre is that I can go to a friend's house in my uniform after work or whatever and their dog will bark at me, and not in a nice way either. This could be a dog I have contact with on a weekly basis. Funny thing is is that I am reasonably sure I could go to this same friends house at 3 am and kick the door in and their dog probably wouldn't even bat an eye, as I go to this friends house in my street clothes and I get nothing but affection from his dog. Weird.
The other day I had a very, very close call. I was at this house that I deliver to about once a month. Every time I go to the back door and leave the package. The other day I went around the back and found the inside back door open. So I knocked. Out of the corner of my eye I see a shape coming out of nowhere. Turn my head - and this was all happening in slow motion by the way - and this ball of fur and teeth is flying right at me! My hands go up to block the dog with the package and just then the chain/rope went taut and the dog was snapped out of mid-air literally millimetres from me. I just ran the hell out of there and the worst part was that I forgot to leave the package so I had to go back!
And yeah, how many times have you heard from a customer that their dog didn't bite. My response is always, "gee, sir, if I had a dollar for every time I heard that I wouldn't be working for UPS".
8up
Well-Known Member
okay, time to confess, yes i've run over one dog. i had moved all the way accross the street but he still managed to run up under the dualies. broke my heart when i heard the young lady calling for him. i took him home and laid him in the open garage where he had escaped from.
i had to knock one out one day, he attacked me while delivering to the neighbors. i kicked at him and he clamped down on my boot, so i came down on the middle of his head with my clipboard and a new pad of delivery records. put him out immediately, he just laid there quivering when i left. he was never out of the house again while i was on that street.
had another large dog that use to chase the package car, he was just as mean as they come, so i'd lead him on and then squeeze him in on this pickup truck that was always parked out on the street. he slammed into that truck several times, he was a slow learner. i took a supervisor down that street one day just to show this off. we both still laugh at this story.
i had to knock one out one day, he attacked me while delivering to the neighbors. i kicked at him and he clamped down on my boot, so i came down on the middle of his head with my clipboard and a new pad of delivery records. put him out immediately, he just laid there quivering when i left. he was never out of the house again while i was on that street.
had another large dog that use to chase the package car, he was just as mean as they come, so i'd lead him on and then squeeze him in on this pickup truck that was always parked out on the street. he slammed into that truck several times, he was a slow learner. i took a supervisor down that street one day just to show this off. we both still laugh at this story.
I must be the worst person here with dogs, I have lost count. Probably 10-12, at least. Most were in the road, we have local Leash Laws a lot of people don't obey. The rest were in driveways. I hit a Weimaraner that ran out in front of me, I broke his back. I went up the driveway he came out of and knocked on the door, but no one was home. I went up the street and borrowed a phone to call Animal Control. The guy on the phone just laughed.
Another time, I ran over "Jack" a Giant Poodle. The people were home and had just came out to get their package, and they saw it. Their house is on a dangerous curve and I would back into the driveway. A few months later, I got a complaint when I killed another of their dogs, I didn't even know it was there. I also ran over a dog near there while I was doing about 45 MPH. It was trying to chase me, it was going "ARF ARF ARF ARF A...". I hit him right in the middle of a bark, got a double bump-bump as my front and rear tire went over him.
The last one I killed was about two years ago. I had backed down a very long driveway and left a package on a carport. A very nice elderly lady came out, and asked me if I had seen her Dachshund. I hadn't seen or heard any barking, so I told her no. When I started my P7 and started rolling, I felt a bump I didn't before. I stopped and looked under my car, and there was her weiner dog. I ran over its snout, and it was dying. The odd sight was its tail was still wagging back and forth, until it finally suffocated. I felt terrible, I asked her for a garbage bag and I bagged it for her.
I love dogs, and that is one part of this job I don't like. I have to look out for them driving, and I have to worry about being bit. I also once was backing down my own driveway, and I ran over my wife's Peekapoo. It lived somehow, its hip was broken but no severe internal injuries.
Another time, I ran over "Jack" a Giant Poodle. The people were home and had just came out to get their package, and they saw it. Their house is on a dangerous curve and I would back into the driveway. A few months later, I got a complaint when I killed another of their dogs, I didn't even know it was there. I also ran over a dog near there while I was doing about 45 MPH. It was trying to chase me, it was going "ARF ARF ARF ARF A...". I hit him right in the middle of a bark, got a double bump-bump as my front and rear tire went over him.
The last one I killed was about two years ago. I had backed down a very long driveway and left a package on a carport. A very nice elderly lady came out, and asked me if I had seen her Dachshund. I hadn't seen or heard any barking, so I told her no. When I started my P7 and started rolling, I felt a bump I didn't before. I stopped and looked under my car, and there was her weiner dog. I ran over its snout, and it was dying. The odd sight was its tail was still wagging back and forth, until it finally suffocated. I felt terrible, I asked her for a garbage bag and I bagged it for her.
I love dogs, and that is one part of this job I don't like. I have to look out for them driving, and I have to worry about being bit. I also once was backing down my own driveway, and I ran over my wife's Peekapoo. It lived somehow, its hip was broken but no severe internal injuries.
rod
Retired 23 years
even if you do it on purpose?
Harley Rider
34 yrs & done!
dammor
Well-Known Member
Looks like we have all hit and killed animals on our routes. What I find disturbing is that some seem to get a sick pleasure from this. Please tell me that is not the case. I will never hit an animal on purpose. Hell, I even pulled over to get a turtle that had been flipped in the middle of the road by the draft of a semi.
Mean dogs are a problem for us, but many dogs that chase the truck are not mean in any way. They are just not very smart. If we were punished by death for being a bit dumb we would all be dead. I tend to view most dogs as Lassie. I've only met one Cujo and true he scared the hell out of me. Most just make my day better.
Did I mention I love dogs?
Hit a few different kinds of animals over the years. In Virginia we have wild turkeys. They are a slow to take off, low flying bird. On this particular day I was traveling about 50 mph. Summer time, had both doors open of course. Up ahead to the side of the road a couple wild turkeys took off. They were flying parallel to the road so I didn't let up. Well, you guessed it one went to the left knocking out the drivers side front window. Lucky for the safety glass and sun glasses I didn't receive any damage. Feathers were everywhere. No sign of the turkey. Tuff little burger. It was near the end of my day, so I drove with no windshield. The owner of the local country store let me borrow his sun glasses so my eyes wouldn't tear up so bad. Also one driver hit one in the winter time. Both doors were closed. Window broke and the bird was inside the truck with him. LOL He finally got the turkey out.
rod
Retired 23 years
No- I would never hit an animal on purpose. I have already posted that I had only hit one in 30 years. That being said you have to admit that some dogs act like they are on a suicide mission so I don't get overly emotional when one gets hit. A good pet owner don't let their dogs run loose to chase cars. As Bob Barker always said " help control the pet population- let them chase cars"
Damn Scratch!
You got a rubber stamp fer the side of yer truck?
We used to have a driver that hated dogs and would try to run them over on purpose. We use to kid him about painting pawprints on the side of his P5. There was a rumor he once left a Delivery Notice on a dead dog that said "I did not kill this dog". There was also a rumor he went across someones front yard and left tire tracks going after one.
Luckily, for the local dog population, he retired after last Peak Season.
He also sold guns on the side, he had some "Select Fire" types and used to hang out at Machine Gun Meets. He would have fit in at the USPS.
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LPGuy
Member
HarleyGuy,
As I have already said, I drove for less than one year. I did not hit any dogs. I got chased by a couple of them. A popular, local newscaster lived on my route. Sometimes, his teenaged son would be outside with their mastiff, having him fetch a ball. I hated this because the first time that I delivered there, I asked the son if the dog bites. The son did not seem certain as to what his dog would do to me. We developed this routine where the kid would throw a ball. I would deliver the packages while the dog was chasing the ball. The goal was to get back in the car before the dog came back. This happened several times. I also encountered a mangy dog at one address, that usually never received anything. I had an extention cord in my P800. I used that for protection.
LPGuy
As I have already said, I drove for less than one year. I did not hit any dogs. I got chased by a couple of them. A popular, local newscaster lived on my route. Sometimes, his teenaged son would be outside with their mastiff, having him fetch a ball. I hated this because the first time that I delivered there, I asked the son if the dog bites. The son did not seem certain as to what his dog would do to me. We developed this routine where the kid would throw a ball. I would deliver the packages while the dog was chasing the ball. The goal was to get back in the car before the dog came back. This happened several times. I also encountered a mangy dog at one address, that usually never received anything. I had an extention cord in my P800. I used that for protection.
LPGuy
Harry Manback
Robot Extraordinaire
A couple of years ago, another driver in my bagged one on his route. The owner got a little more than upset about it. He ran a local business located off a heavily traveled road and had a large sign out front. One afternoon I rode by there and to my amazement the sign read: UPS Driver "Joe Scmoe" killed my dog and left him to die.
