March 17, 2013
8 of 65
DOGS AND MAILMEN – A STEREOTYPE
During two summers while I was in college and for the first year after I graduated, I worked as a mailman. A substitute mailman, actually. When a regular mail carrier was on vacation or ill, I would fill in for that person. I enjoyed the job. True, I had to be at work by 7:00 or earlier and there was a great deal of pressure to get the mail sorted so I could begin delivery in a timely manner; but when I left the post office and started working whatever route I was covering, it was usually enjoyable. I was outside in the sunshine and I felt like I was my own boss. If the mail was delivered accurately and promptly, there was no one watching my work or giving me any kind of orders. I was usually finished by 3:30 or 4:00 each afternoon, which allowed me to enjoy my personal time.
It is stereotypical to say that dogs hate mailmen. I didn’t find that to be true, though. Dogs do enjoy barking at any stranger who walks up to their house, but it is not usually a bark filled with hatred. Usually they simply want to ask, “Who are you? Why are you here? Do you have any treats?” I have always felt comfortable around dogs, and most are comfortable with me. I would simply say some calming words to the barking dog, who was normally behind a fence or a closed door, we would establish a brief rapport and I would be on my way.
Once as I walked up to a house to deliver the mail, I saw the gentleman who lived there sitting beneath a tree in the side yard with a medium sized dog lying next to him. I asked if he would like to receive the mail where he was, or if I should put in in the mail box. He told me to put it in the mail box. I walked over to the porch and the dog accompanied me. When I stepped down from the porch, I felt a sharp pain on the back of my knee. I turned and saw the dog, who had not barked or growled, looking quite pleased with himself for having bitten a mailman. That dog had obviously bought in to the stereotype.
The gentleman beneath the tree did not get up, but he asked if I was ok. I seemed to be uninjured, just somewhat taken aback, so I said, “Yes.” As I was walking to the next house, I felt something warm and wet on my leg, so I rolled up pant leg and saw that the dog bite had broken the skin. I was bleeding. I went back to the man beneath the tree, told him that the dog had drawn blood and asked if the animal had been vaccinated for rabies. The man answered, “I don’t know. It’s not my dog. He just comes around here.” I asked where the dog lived, and was told, “I think in that gray house on the next block.”
I went to the gray house and found a middle aged woman at home. When I explained what had occurred, she hesitantly admitted that the dog belonged to her family. I asked if the dog had been vaccinated. She replied, “No. I don’t think he had his shots this year.”
“Did he have them last year?” I asked.
“No, I don’t believe he had them last year, either.”
“When was the last time he was vaccinated?”
“I really don’t remember,” she said. “It’s been awhile.”
I thanked her, obtained her contact information and gave her my name and the phone number of the post office. I had stopped bleeding by then, so I finished walking my route and returned to the station. I reported the incident to my supervisor, who required me to fill out several forms. I learned later that the dog was required to be chained in his own yard for a couple of weeks to find out if he developed rabies. Luckily, he did not.
The lesson here is that while stereotyping often leads us to over-generalizing and sloppy thinking, and in certain cases it causes prejudice and even discrimination, you can’t ignore stereotypes altogether or they may come back to bite you.
Another day I was stung by a bee while delivering the mail.