RMG/CWU National Dog Awareness Week (DAW) – 6th July to 12th July 2026

RMG/CWU National Dog Awareness Week (DAW) – 6^th July to 12^th July 2026

Dear Colleagues,

Further to LTB 184/25 issued 25^th June, this week will see the launch of the Royal Mail Group/CWU National Dog Awareness Week (DAW), which is the joint annual event where important messages are communicated to emphasise the ongoing safety risk of dog attacks within Royal Mail and Parcelforce.

National DAW was started back in 2012, with the key objectives to remind the public to be aware of their legal and moral responsibilities to control their dogs and prevent dog attacks on Royal Mail Group employees. It also serves as a good opportunity to remind CWU members who perform deliveries and collections in both Royal Mail and Parcelforce to be vigilant, keep safe and take no risks.

As part of DAW week, RMG have confirmed a total of 2,019 attacks by dogs have taken place on employees in the year ending 31^st March 2026. This is a very slight reduction from the 2,197 reported in the year ending 2025. But this figure highlights that, on average, 38 attacks take place every week across the UK on postal workers (Royal Mail and Parcelforce).

A further LTB will be issued this week to provide details of the dog attack figures by postcode areas from March 2025 to March 2026.

RMG/CWU DAW Message to Royal Mail & Parcelforce Customers:

As outlined, a key objective of Dog Awareness Week is to remind the public to be aware of their legal and moral responsibilities to control their dogs and prevent dog attacks on CWU members who are providing a service and simply doing their job. It is again noteworthy to recall that it was only following a successful campaign by the CWU to ensure that the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and its provisions regarding ‘a dog being dangerously out of control’ was extended to include both public and private places, thereby allowing for irresponsible dog owners to be prosecuted under the Act.

Dog owners need to understand the often-devastating impact of dog attacks and take proper measures to ensure their pets pose no threat to RMG workers through responsible dog ownership.

The public also needs to be aware that if their dog attacks a RMG employee, they will be prosecuted either by the Police, Local Authority or by Royal Mail Group via a private prosecution under the agreement between RMG and the CWU.

RMG/CWU DAW Headline activities 2026

Listed here is a summary of the week’s activities: –

DAW Posters (Frontline and for Customers) And Briefing Communications

All Royal Mail/Parcelforce workplaces will have received copies of the DAW 2026 frontline and customer facing posters. There is a total of 15 posters: three frontline versions and two customer-facing, with each set of five published in versions for England, Scotland and Wales, which are attached in a Zip File.

These new posters should replace last year’s versions, with customer facing posters being displayed in Customer Service Points (CSPs) and site reception areas. Additionally, these posters can be shared more widely for public display at suggested locations, such as local Vets, Doctors’ Surgeries, local Community Centres, Parish Councils, etc.

CWU Press Statement

In line with Dog Awareness Week, the union has issued the attached Press Statement, which highlights that dog attacks remain one of the most significant safety risks facing Royal Mail and Parcelforce workers across the UK, with 30,000 having been attacked over the past decade.

The Press Statement also repeats the union’s call for tougher enforcement against irresponsible dog owners who fail to properly control and secure their animals, and further sets out the CWU’s particular concern at the Government’s recent decision (which came into effect on 1^st July) to remove the requirement for owners of exempted banned dogs to maintain compulsory third-party liability insurance.

Other Dog Awareness Messages

Also attached here is a link to the RMG Dog Awareness customer website, which includes other items and former materials which may be of use and interest.

Dog awareness │ Royal Mail Group Ltd

RMG/CWU DAW Message

We are again reminding all individuals who perform deliveries and collections across 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 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.
Don’t put fingers through the letterbox (use your Posting Peg, the palm of your hand or a safe alternative).
If you cannot get mail through the door without using your fingers, don’t do it.
For undelivered mail, use a P6705 sticker when you return to the unit to endorse the mail item.

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 CWU 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 local Vets, Doctors’ Surgeries, local Community Centres, Parish Councils, etc.
Support Unit Managers 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.
Ensure supplies of posting pegs and P6705 stickers are available on site, and everyone understands the P6705 process to be used on all returned mail items to identify the unsafe reason/s that prevented any delivery attempt.
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.

Further Attachments

To further assist in promoting DAW, please find attached the further materials:

Paws for Thought poster CWU-NPCC-RM-PFWW
Blue Cross Protecting your Postie posters
Copy of: Royal Mail P6705 Stricker

Given the CWU’s ongoing and wider commitment to promoting the aims of National Dog Awareness Week both within the workplace and with the public, can we ask that this LTB and its details be shared widely and used by Branches, Safety Reps and our Safety Forums to further support the work on seeking to reduce dog attacks and incidents during this week and beyond.

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 191-26 RMG CWU National Dog Awareness Week (DAW) 6th July to 12th July 2026

CWU DAW Press Statement 2026

Paws for thought poster CWU-NPCC-RM-PFWW

Blue Cross Protecting your Postie poster

Copy of_Royal Mail P6705 Sticker

Dog_Awareness_Posters_2026_A5_JPEG

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