f13.net

Mailman Bitten by Barking Man (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,165682,00.html)
Sunday, August 14, 2005

A Louisiana mailman was bitten Wednesday by a barking animal — of the human variety.

The letter carrier, who had been on the job for about two weeks, heard barks as he walked up to the house in Houma, 50 miles southwest of New Orleans.

There was a dog in the yard, but it was chained up, leading the postman to think the coast was clear, police Lt. Todd Duplantis told The Courier of Houma.

Suddenly, a barking man came running from around the side of the house, nipped the mailman's shoulder, and then scampered inside.

"I've never heard of something like this," Terrebonne Parish (search) Postmaster Bill Frye told the newspaper. "I was shocked when I heard about it."

Police arrested Mark D. Plumb, 20, of Butler, Mo., and charged him with simple battery. He went free after posting a $165 bond and apparently telling police the whole thing was a joke.

The postman had minor physical injuries, but was a bit shaken up by the encounter.

Frye said mail carriers are equipped with dog spray, but the substance may not work on other species.

"We don't expect that a human being is going to run up and bite one of our carriers," he said.

— Thanks to Jackie L., Tracy M., Paul J. and Cy C.