Michigan Mail Carrier Acts Fast to Save Child from Dog Attack

The letter carrier from Michigan was recently honored at a ceremony in Washington D.C.

This is one of those right place, right time situations. Thanks to this postal worker's quick thinking the young girl was able to be pulled free. Certainly a day this Flint, Michigan family will never forget.

Get our free mobile app

Rungphet Bodnar has been a U.S. Postal worker for over 28 years but last April she encountered a first: a dog with its jaws clamped around a young girl's leg, viciously attacking her. As Bondar told The Detroit Free Press,

She had bites all over her. She almost lost her arm, her legs were all messed up

Despite spraying the dog with the repellent from her mail truck the dog continued to snap and bite at the 8-year old girl. Eventually Bodnar was able to corral the dog into the backyard while a nearby adult retreated to safety with the child.

While Bodnar claims she's been bitten several times in her career she never seen any kids bitten or attacked before. This must be every mail carrier's worst nightmare! The young girl needed several surgeries but survived. The dog, who escaped from an open window in a nearby home, was euthanized.

Bodnar's act of bravery has now been recognized by the National Association of Letter Carriers with a ceremony in Washington D.C. where she was presented with the Central Region Hero Award. Adds the NALC,

Letter carriers are in the communities they serve every day and often are the first to notice when something is wrong. They smell smoke, hear someone calling for help or notice something that just doesn’t seem right. Often, they are the first to respond and lend a helping hand