A Nipomo man is recovering at home after surviving one of the worst dog attacks ever against a mail carrier in Santa Maria.

Eddie Canales, 40, had 16 stitches on his arm and leg after three Pit Bull-mix breed dogs inflicted several flesh-deep bites Thursday, he said.

Canales is the third U.S. Postal Service letter carrier to be attacked by a dog this year, said spokesman Rich Maher. He added, “Certainly this is the worst in recent memory in Santa Maria.”

Canales is not expected to go back to delivering mail until his doctor says so, he said. And while he is lucky to be alive, the dogs may not be so lucky.

The dogs are in custody of the Santa Barbara County Animal Services and according its director, the owner had neither reclaimed them or relinquished ownership as of Friday.

“There is a mandatory 10-day rabies quarantine,” said Animal Services Director Jan Glick. “If she chooses to relinquish ownership, then we can euthanize the dogs at that point.”

At the end of those 10 days, she said, Bebe, Bubba and 4-month-old Baby can be put down.

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“After the 10-day quarantine ... and investigation has to be done as to whether the dogs are a danger to the community,” she said. “If the dogs are determined to be dangerous, the court can order them to be euthanized.”

Meanwhile, the dogs' owner, Sandra Moreno-Tannan, has left a note on her mailbox saying, “We are sorry!” Moreno-Tannan was cited anyway, Glick said.

Moreno-Tannan could not be reached for comment.

Shortly after noon on Thursday, Canales was on foot in the 1700 block of North Lincoln Street, where he delivers mail once a week. Canales heard the dogs barking at him, which he said is pretty typical of mail carriers.

Canales said he can pretty much take on one dog at a time, but this time they were three at once.

“I was concentrated on the black one because it was a Pit Bull,” he said. “While I was pepper spraying the black one, the light-colored one jumped and bit my arm.”

He said he managed to temporarily ward them off until he walked over to Monroe Street, where he asked a man to call the police. As he kept walking away, he tripped and the dogs attacked once again.

“I was bleeding pretty bad from my arm,” he said. This time he got bit on his leg.

“I yelled at the woman and told her, ‘You need to get your dogs,'” but the woman never did, he added.

Santa Maria Police Cpl. Jack Dunn was in the vicinity and was the first to arrive in his patrol car, according to police.

Canales said he didn't know why but the vehicle scared the dogs away.

Maher hailed Dunn as a hero.

The incident works as a cautionary tale for dog owners and stressed more people should be aware the dangers mail carriers go through in their seemingly ordinary jobs, Maher said.

Nationally, 3,184 postal employees were injured in dog attacks last year, he said. In Santa Maria, there is an average of five dog-mail carrier attacks every year, and last year there were four, he added.

Aside from reminding owners to keep their dogs behind closed doors when letter carriers arrive, he said dogs should be spayed or neutered because that way they are less likely to bite.

He said dog bites are a serious issue for everyone, not just mail carriers.

This week was National Dog Bite Prevention Week.

Luis Ernesto Gomez can be reached at 739-2218, or

lgomez@santamariatimes.com.

May 26, 2007