If you have a job to do, you have a work space. Depending on your job, the workspace in question can be an office like the one I have, or it can be a construction site, a classroom, a retail store, a restaurant or the middle of a four-lane highway if you work on a road crew.

Delivery people operate in a workspace that consists of a company vehicle and someone else’s property.  Ensuring that the environment we are asking them to enter is a safe one is as much a part of the responsibility of the property controlling customer as it is the delivery person to also operate in a safe manner.

My husband, Jason, is a delivery person for UPS. Two weeks ago, he entered a property to make a delivery on his normal route. This delivery contained items purchased by the customer that included a signature requirement. These were not items that could simply be placed on a porch or in a garage and left without any human contact.

During the course of the delivery, the homeowner heard Jason calling out “UPS” as prescribed by the methods set forth by his employer and approached Jason. At about this same time, a dog came running out from the back of the property.

Just as the homeowner was instructing Jason that the shepard mix was fine and would not bite, the dog launched at Jason, who was in the process of lowering the packages to the ground to get the signature board. Nicking Jason’s arm with a tooth, the dog then went for the throat, latching on just under the chin. The homeowner yelled and went to grab the dog. The dog let go and ran off, but the damage was done.

One CAT scan to check for thyroid and nerve damage, 13 stitches and nearly five hours in the emergency room at Harrison Medical Center later, Jason was patched up and on we were on our way home.

This happened late in the day. Receiving a text from your spouse as you are pulling in the driveway that he was suffering from a throat wound is enough of a shock, but then when I got a good look at the front of his uniform that resembled a cast member costume from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I was scared, angry and working very quickly to get him to the ER.

I understand that there are a certain amount of dangers associated with a delivery job. I tend to worry more about vehicle accidents or having him get hit by a car from a careless driver outside of the truck than I do an attack by an animal.

The U.S. Postal Service is one agency that tracks dog bites to its workers. Their website states that in 2011, 5,577 postal employees were attacked in more than 1,400 cities by dogs. That is a big number.

I am asking homeowners to ensure that their pets are contained when delivery people are expected. Keep yourself informed on deliveries that require your signature. Please keep your pets away from delivery or service providers or the area in which they need to safely perform their duties.

A detailed report of the incident was submitted to the Kitsap Humane Society/Animal Control within a day or two. Any decisions concerning the dog that bit Jason are being handled by KHS officials.