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Dog owners urged to ‘think outside the gate’
Dog awareness week logo
Royal Mail’s Dog Awareness Week aims to raise awareness of the issue of dog attacks on postal staff.

Seven posties attacked by dogs every day

Royal Mail are urging dog owners to ‘think outside the gate’ as new figures highlight the extent of dog attacks on postal staff across the UK.

The figures, published as part of Dog Awareness Week (4-9 July), show that as many as seven postmen and women fall victim to dog attacks across the country every day.

Furthermore, this figure rises by 10 per cent during the summer holidays, when children and parents are at home, and dogs are more likely to be out in the garden.

Commenting on the research, Dr Shaun Davis, Royal Mail group director of safety, health, wellbeing & sustainability, said: “Our postmen and women deliver to over 29 million addresses across the country. We ask them to exercise caution and respect for all family members, including pets when delivering the mail.

“This summer, we are also appealing to dog owners and their families to help reduce the numbers of attacks, particularly at the door and in the garden.”

This year marks the fourth anniversary of Royal Mail’s Dog Awareness Week; an event that aims to raise awareness of the issue of dog attacks on postal staff and encourage responsible dog ownership.

The campaign is backed by TV presenter and Battersea ambassador Paul O’Grady, who is a firm believer that that no one should feel unsafe in the workplace.

“It’s important we as dog owners, take the necessary steps to give postmen this same respect,” he said.

As part of their research, Royal Mail found that over a quarter of UK dog owners left their exterior doors open, allowing their dog to run loose.

In the last year, 36 per cent of dog attacks on postal workers happened at the front door, while 35 per cent (1,888 attacks) took place in the front garden.  At these times, dogs were more likely to be unsupervised.

Image (C) Royal Mail

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

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News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.