Workington delivery driver bitten through letterbox by German Shepherd

Paula Dobinson, 54, the owner of the dog, had been asleep in bed when the incident took place at her property on Harrington Road in Workington on September 20 last year.

Pamela Fee, prosecuting at Workington Magistrates’ Court, said the delivery driver was struggling to get the parcel through the letterbox and had used both his hands.

He then heard a dog and felt a bite on his right index finger. He had to push a piece of bone back into his finger, the court was told.

The delivery driver went to hospital and there was a further requirement for surgery at the Cumberland Infirmary.

A victim impact statement read to the court said the man now goes out of his way to avoid dogs while at work and no longer goes to a door if there is a dog present.

He said the incident had affected his trust of all dogs but said he didn’t blame the dog for the incident and didn’t believe it should be destroyed.

The victim said he wanted Ms Dobinson to install a letterbox guard and warnings at the property.

The court heard the seven-year-old German Shepherd, Zeus, would need to be destroyed, unless it could be proved that he did not pose a risk to the public.

Dobinson, of Harrington Road, Workington, pleaded guilty to being the owner of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury.

John Cooper, defending, said: “She tells me he is usually quite a loud dog. You would normally hear him first. She is very surprised about this.

“He is normally in the kitchen and is normally quite well behaved.

“It’s just the nature of someone coming into the house. Fingers were put through the door. The man has had his hand through the letterbox with the parcel which is quite unusual.

“I can’t think of a less culpable person that has been put through the court.”

The case was adjourned until March 11 to allow an assessment to be carried out on the dog and a pre-sentence report to be prepared by the probation service.