Austrian postal service issuing bags of dog treats to letter carriers

VIENNA – Austrian letter carriers have recently 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 outfitting each letter carrier with a bag of doggie treats.

Nationwide, 47 carriers were bitten by dogs last year. Post office spokesman Michael Homola said Monday that — two weeks into the trial — it's 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.