RMG/CWU National Dog Awareness Week (DAW) 6th July 2026 – Launch of Materials

RMG/CWU National Dog Awareness Week (DAW) 6^th July 2026 – Launch of Materials

This week will see the advanced launch of Royal Mail Group/CWU National Dog Awareness Week (DAW) materials, which is the joint annual focal point where important messages are communicated to emphasise the ongoing safety risk of dog attacks on CWU members within Royal Mail and Parcelforce.

Whilst DAW will commence on Monday 6^thJuly, the advance issuing of the RMG Dog Awareness planned communications this week is in recognition that schools in Scotland break up normally before the rest of the UK, with the national launch of DAW designed to coincide with the bulk of when schools break up for the summer term holiday.

Attached are the following DAW materials:

SHE WTLL FY26 009 Dog Awareness Week 2026 (for all delivery and collection colleagues in RM/PFW)
SHE Huddle FY26 026 How to Order your Dog Postcards
SHE Huddle FY26 027 Dog Awareness Week All colleagues excluding delivery

In circulating the attached, it is relevant to also set out the following further key messages.

RMG/CWU DAW Message:

We are reminding all individuals who perform deliveries and collections within Royal Mail and Parcelforce of the need to remain vigilant, cautious, keep safe and take no risks:

Be vigilant, keep safe, take no risks and protect yourself at all times.
Always err on the side of caution.
Don’t enter properties where dogs are running loose.
Don’t put fingers through the letterbox (use your Posting Peg).
Don’t assume a dog won’t bite, as any dog can be aggressive.
Don’t accept an owner’s word that their dog will not bite.
Look for the presence of dogs. Signs on gates, walls and windows, cages in vehicles, toys in gardens.
Rattle the gate to warn a potential dog of your presence.
When calling with an item, ask the customer to put their dog away and step well back from the doorstep to maintain a safe distance. If the customer needs to leave the doorstep to fetch ID or another item, politely ask them to close the door/secure the dog.

Also:-

Report all dog attack incidents and near misses.
Remember to report significant dog hazards and inform the manager of any increase in risk/changes. This needs to be captured on ORA (Offsite Risk Assessment).
Mark your frame with a yellow dot where there is a significant dog hazard. Remove any yellow dots on frames no longer appropriate (e.g. the dog no longer resides there).
Put ‘D’ on the envelope and parcels to remind yourself of known dog hazards when you are out on your route.

Message to Safety Reps:

As part of the Royal Mail Group/CWU National Dog Awareness Week, the support and assistance from WSRs (Workplace Safety Reps) and ASRs (Area Safety Reps) would be welcomed, including:

Ensure that sites have displayed all of the Dog Awareness posters and are sending out external posters/leaflets to Vets, Doctors’ Surgeries, local Community Centres and Parish Councils, etc.
Support Unit Manager delivering Dog WTLLs and SHE Huddles, not just during DAW but all year round.
Visit workplaces – organise a plan of visits ongoing throughout the year, focusing on dog risks and controls.
Carry out Inspections/Investigations following dog related incidents.
Talk to members about the threat of dog attacks.
Introduce yourself to new starters in the unit, typically they will be most at risk, so speak to them about the principles of AVOID and the dangers posed by dog attacks.

The CWU remains fully committed to promoting National Dog Awareness Week both within the workplace and with the public, and we would ask that this LTB and its details are shared widely and are used by Branches, Safety Reps and our Safety Forums to further support the work on seeking to reduce dog attacks and incidents during DAW and beyond.

Further updates on DAW 2026 will be issued in due course.

Any enquiries to this LTB should be referred to the DGS(P) Department email address: Hford@cwu.org/ACorbett@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely,

Martin Walsh
Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

LTB 184-26 RMG CWU National Dog Awareness Week (DAW) 6th July 2026 – Launch of Materials

SHE WTLL FY26 009 Dog Awareness Week 2026

SHE Huddle FY26 026 How to order your Dog Postcards

SHE Huddle FY26 027 Dog Awareness Week All colleagues excluding delivery

View Online