Dog bit leaflet distributor via letterbox

ally18

Hi,
Firstly I'm sorry if I have put this question in the wrong place but wondered if anyone could advise on the following.

A pizza leaflet distributor posted a leaflet through the home letterbox yesterday and my friend's dog bit him. My friend is now really worried about a claim being made for compensation because obviously she can't pay it.

My friend was rushing out the house at the time to pick her child up and was unable to stay and speak with the man who pushed the leaflet through the door apart from saying to him, well why did you have your fingers in my letterbox in the first place then? She was quite irritated at that point but obviously now is worried.

The front door was shut and locked as her 14yr daughter was still in the house so really the dog was protecting his home. He sits at the bottom of the stairs when someone is upstairs and this is where the front door is. The man must have pushed his hand way through the letterbox and perhaps startled the dog as this has not happened before. There is no flap on the inside of the letterbox so he didn't need to force the paper through.

My friend has also informed the police of what happened but it wasn't in a public place so it is not of their concern. She is now just waiting worried sick.

Is there a compensation claim looming do you think? And how would she stand?

mrcow

What were the injuries like?

ally18

Hi,

I'm afraid I don't know apart from the fact that blood was drawn. I wish my friend had actually stopped and tried to sort this out at the time but as I said, she was late in picking another child up and couldn't stay.

The thing is now she doesn't know exactly how bad it was and this man could use it to his advantage. All he said was as he walked off was "is the dog clean".

She did walk around the local streets when she got back to try and find him but he had gone.

CharlieRabbit01

would her pet insurance cover it?

moggymutt

Hopefully the leaflet distributor realises that he should have not put his hand through your letterbox, he must have shoved it through a fair way for your dog to be able to bite him.

Lots of dogs grab the post/newspapers as they come through the door, I can't believe he was so daft.

krlyr

I doubt anything will come of it - like you say, it didn't happen in a private place. The laws are changing to cover this sort of thing (potentially) but AFAIK aren't in effect yet. Does your friend live in England or Scotland though, as I think it may differ slightly?

I agree in checking if her pet insurance would cover it. Or possibly home insurance if they offer legal cover.

www.doglaw.co.uk - may be worth a call to Trevor Cooper (or someone else at Doglaw) as they specialise in the DDA and similar.

I would perhaps suggest she goes and buys a letterbox cage now though - if anything did ever come of it, at least it shows she's made precautions to prevent it happening again (and it'll probably save her a lot of worry of a repeat incident!). Also I'd be slightly concerned about the man taking his own revenge if he finds there's no legal way to do so, e.g. putting something through the letterbox. I'd maybe line the letterbox cage so if anything was dropped in, it wouldn't fall through the bars. May be being a bit paranoid but it's easy enough to minimise the risk, however small.

gettingready

I have a feeling your friend does not have the dog insured? Insurance normally cover this kind of thing as third party...

Cage for the inside of the door and fast before this happens again. This costs next to nothing and needs to be sorted ASAP. For both protection of leafleters/postmen and the dog himself - it is just too easy to drop something nasty through the letterbox to harm the dog...

I understand your friend was rushing to pick up a kid from school BUT someone was bitter but her dog and she should have stopped.

Personally - I would call a number on any of the leaflets and ask the company who was delivering them, they will know - probably another company that deals with leaflets distribution. That company will know who has delivered on your friend's street.

I said - personally I would do that. As a responsible dog owner.

meritaten

ok - dogs often don't like letterboxes - or rather they don't like 'THINGS' appearing through letterboxes. they often snap at them not meaning to bite the fingers.
you can get cage type things to go over letterboxes.
when I did leafleting I took a wooden spatula and folded the leaflet and pushed it through the letterbox with the spatula. judging by the bites on the spatula - its a hazardous job.
but if the dog is snapping at things through the letterbox then I would recommend they enclose the letter box with a cage.

geri1965_2

Your friend doesn't need legal cover on her home insurance, if she has contents it should cover her under the personal liability section.

ally18

Many thanks everyone for your advice, I have spoken to her and passed everything on.

She is checking through her home insurance to make sure she has the liability just in case, as she does not have pet insurance any more.

And I have been looking online at the cages you mentioned so will pass this information on too. I was also checking out the number of claims put in against this very same thing and the trouble is, there are so many of these 'no win, no fee' companies especially for dog bites now that I fear, he will definitely try it on but we shall wait and see. People have won compensation even though it was their fault (my opinion) for sticking their hand through the letterbox but that is our justice system and another matter!

She has also put a notice in the window to state 'no free newspapers/leaflets or cold callers' and a picture of the dog so future people are forewarned.

Thanks again.

gettingready

I fear, he will definitely try it on

Ermm - sorry? He DID get bitten, didn't he?

But I do dread all leaflets etc being pushed through the door and wish there was an opt-out list for many reasons....

Ask you friend to put "No leaflets/junk mail etc" on her door, put a cage thingy over the letter flap (for protection of both dog and anyone trying to push anything in)