The old cliché about dogs hating the mailman dates all the way back to a time when many postal workers delivered the mail on foot instead of in mail trucks, and supposedly were chased by angry dogs in the process. These days, that's no longer much of a concern since most of them don't even need to get out of their truck to put our mail in the box! But if your dog is anything like mine, that doesn't stop them from barking every single day when they pull up in front of your house, letting you know that an intruder is in your midst.
Then, there's the Labrador Retriever in this Instagram Reel. She seems to like her mailman just fine — even if their daily bonding activity is a bit weird.
On Thursday, October 17, dog mom @djperelman shared this hilarious (yet sweet) footage of the special little greeting that takes place between their mailman and her Labrador Retriever when he arrives as their house to deliver their mail every day.
Since they have a mail slot in their front door, rather than a mail box, their mailman sticks his hands through the slot to pet the dog... and of course, the dog happily receives those pets.
"It's her favorite time of the day and she gets depressed whenever he doesn't come," the dog's mom wrote in the video. "Thank goodness for mailmen like Jason. Thanks for being so nice to Piper."
Still, it does look a little disturbing to see a pair of hands coming through the slot, and her mom's assessment that it's "giving Thing" from The Addams Family is 100% what's happening here. Commenters seemed to agree, leaving plenty of funny comments, too. One person wrote, "Mother. The door hands are here." LOL!
As weird as it looks, it really is so sweet that the mailman takes the time to do this... though I do have questions about how this routine came to be.
Maybe if more pets were given through mail slots on a daily basis, dogs would like mailmen in general a lot more? Just a thought...
Why Do Dogs Hate Mail Carriers?
The video above just goes to show that not all dogs hate their mail carriers, so where did this idea come from?
According to Psychology Today , it's actually their territorial instincts kicking in. They want to protect their homes (and families) from intruders.
"You see, the postman arrives, the dog acts defensively, and the postman leaves. In other words, in the dog's mind, he attempted to defend his territory and it worked," Dr. Stanley Coren explained.
If you want to bring an end to this behavior — whether it's just when the mail comes or when anyone is at the door — Dr. Coren suggests keeping a supply of treats nearby and giving one to the person at the door to give to your dog to show that they're a friendly visitor.
And like I said before, if "petting slots" in doors became an actual thing, there's a good chance we could put this old cliché to rest for once and for all.
🐶 SIGN UP to get "pawsitivity" delivered right to your inbox with inspiring & entertaining stories about our furry & feathered friends 🐾🐾
Local News
