‘Powerful jaws’: Postie reveals horrific trauma after vicious dog attack on the job

As Australia Post arms its employees with citronella spray to deter unruly dogs, a postie has revealed the horrific reality of dealing with aggressive pets on the job.

Dealing with aggressive pets is an everyday reality for posties. Picture: Supplied

A Perth postie has revealed the horrific trauma she suffered after a brutal dog attack while on the job.

It comes as Australia Post announced plans to arm posties with citronella spray to fend of dangerous dogs, and a new study revealed nine posties are attacked on average every day across the country.

Bronwyn Adamson had been working for Australia Post as a postie on an electric delivery vehicle (EDV) for only a few short weeks in Perth when she was targeted by a dog while doing her postal run.

The attack left her with lifelong scars and trauma.

Bronwyn Adamson was delivering a parcel when she was attacked by a dog. Picture: NewsWire / Brenton Edwards

She has 17 years of experience as a veterinarian nurse under her belt and has adopted several rescue dogs with “(traumatic) pasts”, giving her plenty of experience with unpredictable animals.

However, an hour-and-a-half into her postal run, she arrived at a house for a parcel delivery that required a signature, “walked up and knocked on the door”.

A male voice boomed from the side gate, telling Ms Adamson he’d be right there to sign for the package.

“I turned to (face) that voice, and next thing, this dog just launched at me and bit my breast,” she said, a feeling she described as “very unpleasant”.

“I don’t know what breed (it was), but it had powerful jaws,” she recalled. “It (made) a puncture wound on my left breast and left extensive bruising.”

The man was “very apologetic” after the incident, and “growled” at the dog to scare it away, but the damage was done.

In the weeks that passed, the bruising became so extensive that it “ended up in a haematoma about the size of a golf ball”. Ms Adamson’s recovery has taken months, and she has only recently been given the all clear by her doctors.

“It was a very painful experience,” she said.

Usually, the dog that appears quieter and sweet can often harbour aggressive feeling towards posties. Picture: Supplied

On average, there are nine reported attacks on posties every day across the country, though attacks are more common in certain states and suburbs.

Western Australia, where Ms Adamson works, is the third worst-affected state in the country for dog attacks on posties, with 184 reported attacks in areas including Joondalup, Geraldton and Malaga between November 15, 2024 and May 15, 2025.

Leading the pack is Queensland, which has reported 388 incidents in the last six months, with the worst-affected areas Darra, Bundamba and Toowoomba.

In NSW, the second-most affected state in the country, Australia Post reported 329 incidents, with the worst three areas Moree, Penrith and Waterloo.

Victoria is fourth worst, reporting 138 incidents, with the majority of dog attacks happening in Oakleigh South, Mooroolbark, Deepdene and Mornington.

“Moree in NSW is one of many hotspots where the number of roaming and unrestrained dogs has created dangerous conditions for our posties,” Australia Post general manager safety Russell Munro said in a statement.

“When our people continue to end up in hospital, we have a responsibility to act and this (using citronella spray) is a last-resort measure.”

Posties will now be trained to use citronella spray as a last resort deterrent for unruly dogs. Picture: Supplied

The most common incidents occur when dogs are roaming around or escaping from a person’s property, with 57 per cent of all attacks happening while the dog is on the street.

However, nearly 40 per cent of all cases happen on the customer’s property – half of which occur when they open their front door.

Ms Adamson said she wasn’t the only one in her area to suffer at the hands of unruly dogs.

“(Attacks) have happened to quite a few people here at the actual post office, and they’ve ended up in hospital because of puncture wounds, with lots of blood on knees and elbows,” she told NewsWire.

“It is a constant thing.”

Ms Adamson said she has witnessed posties covered in blood from attacks. Picture: Supplied

She said reactive dogs weren’t necessarily a concern because owners generally knew how to keep them at bay.

However, it’s the “friendliest, loveliest little dogs” that pose the biggest risk for posties.

“Unfortunately, (little dogs) see us as a threat because we come every day and we leave every day because they bark at us,” she said.

“And we keep coming back and they get angrier with us, until eventually, if they get out the door or if the gate gets left open, they’ll bolt outside and bite us because that’s their next line of defence.”

It’s a heartbreaking situation, she told NewsWire.

“I love dogs,” Ms Adamson said.

Australia Post reported nine dog attacks on posties every day. Picture: NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard

While she has experience with reactive dogs and loves canines in general, Ms Anderson confessed the attack left her so traumatised it affected her job.

“I’m very conscious when I hear a dog barking,” she said.

While most pet owners are “very understanding” when she asks them to place their dogs behind a fly screen or in another room when delivering parcels, she’s still “terrified” when a dog’s reaction is so strong it can “rattle the glass windows”.

“I was terrified that the flimsy flyscreen was not going to work,” she told NewsWire. “So I ended up carding the parcel and not approaching the door at all, so they had to go to the post office to pick it up.”

There has been a sharp increase in dog attacks on posties. Picture: NewsWire/Joel Carrett

Australia Post is taking the next steps to prevent further attacks on posties by introducing a water-based citronella spray to fend off attacking dogs.
From the end of July, posties will be equipped with the spray, which is non-harmful and 80 per cent effective in making dogs retreat, but they should only use it as a last resort.

Posties will also undergo extensive training to use the deterrent, which can only be used under strict protocols.

“The citronella spray will give me peace of mind,” Ms Adamson said. “I’ll feel safer knowing I have something that could protect me from another attack.”

Originally published as ‘Powerful jaws’: Postie reveals horrific trauma after vicious dog attack on the job