To think if you are that scared of dogs you shouldn't be doing deliveries?

[MummySharkDoodoododoo]

I do totally understand that people don't all like dogs. I understand that some are terrified of them.

But 2 deliveries this week have been by people that are too scared of my dogs, who are always shut in the kitchen before I open the front door, as I do respect that not every body wants to meet them, which is fine.

Today, the woman knocked on my door. The dogs barked, I shut them in the kitchen and then opened the door, she was stood 2 doors away, at the end of the driveway, shouting that she had a delivery for me. I was in my pjs and had no shoes on, so was expecting her to come and give them to me. She asked if the dogs were ok, I said yeah they are fine and are shut in the kitchen and can't get out. She came closer but still wouldn't come down my drive, I ended up coming out in bare feet and getting the parcel and signing for it at the end of the driveway.

Similar happened last week although he did deliver to the door, but said he wouldn't have knocked if he knew I had dogs

For context, one is big and one small. Both never hurt anybody and live with 4 kids, including special needs kids. They just bark at the door like most dogs I've met.

If people are that scared of dogs, that they can't come to my door with a parcel, surely they are in the wrong job? If the dogs were on my doorstep with teeth showing I'd totally get it, but surely once I've said they are shut in the kitchen that should be enough??? My mum hates dogs and doesn't go near them, but I shut them in the kitchen and that's the end of that. She was bitten by a dog years ago and I totally understand it.

Aibu to think this woman is in the wrong job???

I don't think you should be a delivery person if you're scared of lifts... An issue we came across years ago, they wanted to leave item downstairs for collection, I told them tough shit I paid for delivery for a reason so they would have to take the 6 flights of stairs which they weren't happy about.

OP, sorry if I'm being a bit thick, but you seem not to connect these two things - you like and don't discourage your dogs from barking when there's a knock at the door, because the barking will scare off intruders, but then you're a bit perplexed when a delivery person is scared by the dogs' barking.

I'm nervous of dogs, and have ended up avoiding numerous scenic walking routes by the coast I live on, because there are just too many dogs, who "would never hurt a fly" etc. I don't know that when they gallop up to me, but their owners are oblivious, even when I ask them repeatedly to call their dogs off. My heart will be hammering in my chest, but they're all "my big soft baby blah blah blah". I know how much joy pets bring, so I try my best not to get upset.

Also, just...why don't you have any shoes??

You are definitely not unreasonable.
In what other job can you leave out doing bits you don't like?

Your dogs were not interacting with the drivers

Ummm they were barking at the driver. And if you know anything about dogs that means they were trying to escape and attack them.

How else would the driver have known about them? Maybe OP had a big fuck off sign saying beware of the dogs?

Eh? Dogs barking when someone knocks on the door doesn't mean they want to attack them! Dear me, I forgot how much old guff these threads seem to generate.

I agree.

We have a small terrier who is gentle, thinks everyone who comes to the house wants to play with her, isn't boisterous but does wag her tail and runs about, never barks.

Our regular postie was off and replacement refused to enter garden, left a calling card saying dog at large! She's the least threatening dig ever, would never appear to be nasty ( v. Placid) and for god's sake she's minute. If a dog is snarling then obvs agree they shouldn't enter garden. But think if you're afraid of dogs why become a postie, most people have them and they're often in the garden. I wouldn' get a job delivering suppluss to a reptileure as I'm terrified of snaked for eg.

And in your scenario op the delivery person was ridiculous. What harm could they do from behind a shut door? Honestly!

To put the opposite POV to the OP: why get things delivered if you have dogs? Even if every 99 dog owners are responsible all it needs is 1 irresponsible owner for something nasty to happen - regardless of if the delivery person is scared of dogs or not.

Personally I am scared of dogs and I hate dog owners who can't control their dogs. I got bitten 2 months ago while cycling on my bike. I probably passed 100s of controlled and well-behaved dogs over the years on my bike, but there was 1 dog with an irresponsible owner and I got a nasty bite. I don't know who to avoid just by looking at the person.

As a dog owner you have responsibility over your dog and need to face being inconvenienced. Other people should not choose their job because some people choose to own potentially dangerous animals.

Anyone who has a job that involves going to/into people's homes has got to be able to do their own risk assessment of whether it is safe.

Have heard some truly hair raising stories from friends about someone large and threatening kicking off, throwing furniture, blocking the door etc. Obviously a postie/delivery person is not going into the house itself as a rule, but they still are at some level of risk every time.

This is a really really well known issue that has prompted new legislation, it was that bad! And people are saying oooh why does she get to say no?

Eh? Dogs barking when someone knocks on the door doesn't mean they want to attack them!

How does a delivery driver know that?

In what other job can you leave out doing bits you don't like?

Lots of jobs prohibit customers whom they deem unsafe. Signs up in various places where staff say they won't serve or treat people who are drunk, abusive or non cooperative. Banks won't let you in with helmets covering faces etc.

To many people a barking dog is to be feared. You can hear people saying 'quiet boy' at them but they keep barking - so not under control.

You might know your dog - but others do not. The dog is the responsibility of the dog owner, not the delivery driver or postie.

Once bitten, twice shy.

The delivery drivers in the OPs area must be particularly timid.
My dogs bark loudly when unknown people knock. They're not allowed to go to the front door.

I get a lot of things delivered and no one has ever expressed fear of the dogs or run off and shouted from a distance.

I don't like dogs and there's no way I would do a job that required me to make deliveries - I suspect eg retail work is fairly widely available if you don't want to be a post(wo)man. So I am kind of with you OP.

However, if all dog owners kept their pets under control we wouldn't be having this discussion because people making deliveries wouldn't have to worry about having a chunk bitten out of their thigh.

Its not really about ‘liking or not liking’ dogs.

If you’ve ever had a job which involves delivering things to peoples houses you’ll know two things

1. Don’t believe dog owners when they say ‘she’s only playing!!’
2. Don’t believe dog owners when they say ‘oh she’s locked in the kitchen she can’t get to you!’

And if you haven’t ever had a job delivering things to people and you disagree with points 1 and 2, you don’t get an opinion really.

I always open the door with my dog by my side. She barks as they approach, stops as we walk to the door and greets them as I do as she is guided by my reaction.

She’s a large dog.

Aibu in thinking dog owners should contain or restrain their dogs when opening the door to a visitor?
It's not much to ask surely?
Dogs are rightly territorial and have the upper hand at home.
The delivery person is a stranger on the dogs turf and is at a disadvantage right away.
Many posties have been bitten by dogs- and they didn't even have to knock the door! I feel for delivery drivers tbh.

My dog barks at me when she wants to play not because she wants to attack what a ridiculous statement

I’m on the fence with this one. I think once you’d explained they were secure she was unreasonable to not come to the door. However, there is probably a reason she is wary and unfortunately that is because some dog owners can be a bit blind to the impact of their dogs on others. I was attacked by a dog when I was about 10 (and the owner didn’t give a shit) and have been nervous ever since. I’ve tried really hard not to pass that onto my children and there are some really lovely dogs and owners locally that we interact with.

This isn’t a delivery example but a house viewing and I imagine similar experiences would make people a bit untrusting of owners . I went to view a house and I rocked up to see 3 large Dobermanns. The estate agent suggested that the owners might want to take them out while he did the viewing but they refused saying they were friendly. They jumped all over me, snarled, we’re showing teeth and puffing themselves out. It felt aggressive rather than playful. The owners kept following us around with the dogs saying how lovely they were while I was becoming more and more anxious. I was totally on edge and really hating every minute and I cut the viewing short. My husband loves dogs, grew up with them etc and found it unpleasant as well. I suspect we weren’t the only ones as their house was still on the market 18m later. I’d have been fine viewing a house with well behaved dogs but they clearly didn’t have any control and were completed blind to their behaviour.