MYTH: Dogs Hate the Mailman

Parker and Fricke  were taking their afternoon snooze while I cut back the Pampas Grass so they could get a better view of passers by. As soon as the latch to our front gate cricked open and without warning Parker and Fricke woke from the dead and went into  "Fourth of July Mode" on the small, frail, elderly un assuming mailman who regularly delivers to the Foundation.

I ran in the house as fast as I could but everything seemed in slow motion. If you could imagine me running toward them in slowmo watching Parker and Fricke jumping up and down like firecrackers, cherry bombs and fireworks trying to break through the screen door to get to the sheepish and polite postal worker.

“Parrrrkerrr!

Friiickkkkke!

Whaaaat Arrre Youuuu Doingggg?”

“Trryinggg To Ge---t the Mail----man Mom------! ( Fricke yelled slowwwly mouth agape )

Boinggggg Boingggg Boinggggg  ( up and down they went  I watched the mail man utter )

"Thaaattts Allll Riighttt"  ( and  just as suddenly silence - life resumed in real time, the dogs went back to sleep and the mailman went back to his routine, un-phased as soon as he dropped the latch and the gate closed under the arbor )

I snapped out of it and –

"I'm sorry - really---thank you" ( I shouted after the mailman as he closed the gate and said softly ).

"That's Ok - their only doing their job" ( he scurried away like a mouse ).

This routine happens everyday ( I am certain our mailman is not alone ) but he continues to deliver our mail on time and on schedule.

"Mother"

"Yes Fricke dear?"

"Why can't we have the mailman for lunch, he smells so good".

"Because we need the mail dear" ( I said thinking of the many things I had to do, and went back to pruning :)

MYTH DEBUNKED: Dogs chase after/ bark at and try to jump on postal workers because of the way they smell.  Yes and No – its mostly the smell of the mail and the dogs territorial instincts kicking in. Mail has had so many hands on it and been tossed on so many floors and in dirty postal bags - the stories each piece would tell would mind boggling. One piece of mail is handled by over 20 people combined with all the other pieces of mail and the natural body odors a mailman ( mail person exude me ) acquires on his route ( think of what that smells like to a dog:)  I convinced Fricke and Parker to attend mailman group therapy ( with the other dogs on our block ).

"Oh, hello there, our regular mailman?"  The new guy shouted after tossing our mail toward the house ( from behind the fence )  "He's on vacation:)"