The last time I got bit by a dog was about 5 years ago. I had a residential stop, it was a fenced yard and I knew the people had two dogs. I secured the truck and as I exited, I whistled and yelled UPS. Opening the gate, I listened for any sounds of the dogs and hearing none, I started for the front porch. I could see that  the front door was open and just the full length glass storm door was closed. As I got up on the porch I could see people inside so I waved and put the package down. 
     The dogs started barking inside the house and I beelined it back towards the gate. But when the first dog hit the stormdoor, the door popped open and out he came. It was an overweight Black Lab and he was barking furiously. The door slammed shut but didn’t latch and out came the German Shepherd right behind him. I knew they would reach me before I got to the gate so I yelled at the homeowners who were stlll nowhere in sight.
     I turned to face the approaching dogs and held my DIAD as a shield in front of my legs. The Lab ran right up to me, still barking wildly. He had his nose right up against my leg, thank God the DIAD was between us. But the Shepherd circled around behind me. I yelled again for help. I couldn’t protect both my front and back at the same time. As I tried to walk backwards towards the street, the German Shepherd grabbed me right above the ankle.
     He pulled me as he bit and I lost my balance and fell on my right side. I remember the thought flashing through my mind, “Roll, don’t just lay there or they’ll eat you alive!”. So I rolled and got back on my feet as fast as I could. I guess the dogs must have backed off as soon as I hit the ground and the home owners came out on the front porch. My DIAD was on the driveway and I must have looked like a crazed madman, shocked and injured, too scared to run and too excited to stand still.
     The owners came up the drive and the dogs retreated. “Did he bite you?”, the wife asked. We all looked at my leg at the same time. I was already bleeding from the punctures. My leg felt like it was on fire. We went back up on the porch and they put the dogs inside. “Did Sugar bite  you?”, the lady asked again. I think I showed a lot of composure when I simply answered “Yes” and collapsed into a chair. I wanted to kill someone. Or something.
     The folks bandaged me up and I told them I was OK, even though I wasn’t so sure. I messaged in that I had been bit and got the message back, “Can you finish your route?”. Foolishly I replied that I thought I could. That night my wife made me go to the emergency room. Thank goodness she did because not only did I need antibiotics for the dog bite but it turned out I had broken a bone in my hand when I fell down. I was off for over 7 weeks and eventually retained a lawyer and sued the homeowners for lost wages abouve what Workers Comp would pay. We were asking for $5000. The lawyer said his cut would be a 30% of the settlement.     
      About a week later, the lawyer called and said that Workers Comp had called him and asked if they could just join our lawsuit to recover their costs from the homeowner’s insurance too. They  were asking for $2000. I said sure.  Why not?
We won $7000 and the lawyer took this 30% then gave Workers Comp their $2000. I was expecting $3500, or 70% of $5000. He gave me a check for $2900.
     I must have sounded like that dog coming through the screen door. I was furious. He tried to explain it this way. His fee was 30% of the settlement. That’s what our contract said. Workers Comp had not contracted with him for fees he said and he had in fact asked me if I wanted to do them a favor by letting them sign on and I had said yes. I didn’t know the favor would cost me $600. The settlement was $7000. His fee was 30%. They were entitled to $2000. That left $2900 for me.
     Now I was ready to bite. My wife was with me and we started circling, just like those dogs had done before they bit me. He started to look a little panicked, I’m sure much like I had looked on those peoples’ driveway. We were snarling out things like “unfair” and “misleading”” and the “Lawyers’ Board of Ethics”. He called for help by offering to split the difference. We only barked louder. Just as I lunged at his flesh, he conceded and forked over the rest of my money. If he hadn’t, I think I would have bit him.

     Here is another good story about a UPS driver  who had a close encounter with a dog and now is on the verge of getting bit by the legal system.  People don’t realize how dangerous this delivery job is.  Trial March 25 for UPS driver.