Letter Carriers honor neighborhood heroes who rescued worker attacked by 2 dogs

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.workdayminnesota.org/index.php?news_6_4585

11 August 2010

MINNEAPOLIS - National Association of Letter Carriers members attended a National Night Out Block Party on the 3300 block of Colfax in North Minneapolis to thank community members who helped out in a crisis.

Letter Carrier Bryan Bloomquist was attacked by two pit bulls while delivering mail on July 27. Three people who heard his cries for help rushed to intervene.

De’Angelo Boldt grabbed a baseball bat from his home, Lawrence Blackful rushed to the scene and grabbed a lawn sign to fight off the dogs and Bridgette Shepard drove her vehicle onto the sidewalk to try and chase the dogs away from the wounded letter carrier. The dogs finally retreated to the front steps of the home where they lived, and police officers arrived on the scene and dispatched them.

One week later, Pam Donato, president of NALC Branch 9, presented the three neighbors with plagues declaring them community heroes. Bloomquist attended the block party as his first trip back to the scene of the attack.

FULL story at link.

[MrSlayer]

1. I have the nicest, most friendly dog in the world.

But she hates the mailman. Fucking hates him with a passion. What is it about dogs and mailmen?

[flvegan]

3. My dogs LOVE our mailman. He could steal my car and they'd hold the gate open. The secret?

Hot dogs. If my dogs are out front, I know when the mail truck is coming. They start running around, tails wagging, barking in expectation. Once the mail is in the box, he tosses a few chunks of hot dog into my yard. I've seen him hurl hot dog bits 50 feet to a dog that's chained in a yard in my neighborhood. It's called conditioning.

Smart mailman, him.

[gkhouston]

4. I have no idea. We had one dog when I was growing up who went berserk any

time the trash collectors came around. We got her from the pound so I don't know if she had a backstory there or the rattle of trashcans spooked her or what.

[Journeyman]

6. Best explanation I heard is, the mail carrier is someone who comes to the door. . .

but never comes inside. This confuses the dogs. What's the story with this visitor? Steps on the porch, rattles the box and makes all sorts of noise, but never comes inside.

We work hard to keep our dogs under control when the carrier comes to the door. They can bark once or twice, to say hi and to alert us that the mail has arrived, but they're not allowed to bark incessantly. Many times we've invited the carrier in, for a cold drink or if they ask to use the toilet, and since we've done that the dogs never bark more than hello.

[gkhouston]

2. Okay, I try not to be the typo police, but they rewarded the rescuers with plaGues?

:rofl:

[murielm99]

5. That is pretty funny. n/t