Austria gives postal workers bags of treats to fend off aggressive dogs

Doggie treats will be used to help Austrian postal workers deal with dogs when delivering letters Photograph: Souders Studios/Getty Images

Postmen and women in Austria have begun carrying a second bag — and it’s not because of mail overload.

Aggressive dogs can make delivering the mail difficult, so the post office is providing each letter carrier with a bag of doggie treats.

Nationwide, 47 carriers were bitten by dogs last year.

Two weeks into the trial officials say it is too early to say whether the strategy is working.

But state broadcaster ORF quotes letter carrier Maria Stocker as saying the treats are making a difference.

“The dogs are now nice,” she says.

According to NBC news, a local pet food manufacturer will provide about 10 tons of snacks for the postal service every year.

“We had a total of 47 dog attacks in 2014 and every bite is one bite too many,” Post office spokesman Michael Homola told the website.

“Until recently, many employees bought dog treats with their own money.”