POST OFFICE WON'T GO TO THE DOGS.

Byline: Erik Nelson Staff Writer

Mail carriers go to the dogs six days a week, but on Saturday, the dogs came to them.

Pebbles, a 30-pound cardigan corgi, and Ulli, a 90-pound German shepherd, came to the main Van Nuys post office with their owner, television dog trainer and author Matthew ``Uncle Matty'' Margolis to show that most dogs are good dogs.

``The problem is,'' Margolis asked, ``do you feel lucky?''

Unlucky letter carriers in the San Fernando Valley have been attacked by dogs 44 times since October, said Terri A. Bouffiou, a spokeswoman for the Postal Service. Two carriers were from the Van Nuys Post office; one was bitten this month in Sherman Oaks and another in November in Panorama City. Both carriers are suing the dogs' owners.

Margolis agreed to do the training session after Van Nuys letter carrier and safety coordinator Linda Brookins e-mailed him about the dog problem and asked for help.

Margolis, known from radio commercials for his falsetto encouragement, ``Uncle Matty's proud!'' used Ulli to demonstrate how to approach a strange dog.

``See him smiling now?'' said Margolis as he walked casually toward Ulli as the dog lay comfortably on the floor, mouth agape and tongue hanging out.

Then Margolis approached furtively, with eyes fixed on the dog's.

``See him now?'' he said as the dog's mouth shut, furrows formed on its brow and it looked anxiously at Margolis. ``That's what you want to look for.''

Letter carrier Charlie Garcia could relate to Margolis' warnings that dog owners don't know what damage their dogs are capable of doing.

Garcia recently attempted to deliver mail to a dog owner holding a dog on a leash.

``The owner said, don't worry, my dog won't bite you,'' and promptly lost his grip on the dog's leash.

Fortunately, the dog only succeeded in tearing a corner from Garcia's mailbag, which he showed to Margolis.

Margolis also advised the carriers not to try to pet dogs they don't know. ``The dog doesn't love you,'' he said, adding that a hand out might mean a hand off when the dog is defending its front-yard turf.

``Dogs won't have a problem biting you. That's their job. That's their way of life.''

Even dogs that seem friendly can become aggressive when startled, as the carrier in the Sherman Oaks incident learned. In that case in early March, a great dane the carrier had been friendly with since it was a puppy was awakened and bit the carrier's face, said station manager Al Santos.

``Charles Manson was probably a nice little baby,'' said Margolis when told of the incident. ``Maturity breeds aggression.''

At the session, Margolis handed out copies of his new book, ``Grrr! The Complete Guide to Understanding and Preventing Aggressive Behavior in Dogs,'' co-written by Mordecai Siegal.

Carrier Calvin D. Brookins said he'd been bitten once on the back of his leg by a small dog, and appreciated the advice.

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Photo:

Van Nuys postal workers look on as dogs Pebbles, left, and Ulli await instructions from trainer Matthew Margolis.

Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer