diff --git a/datadog/dogshell/wrap.py b/datadog/dogshell/wrap.py
index 022b333..f3bc1ad 100644
--- a/datadog/dogshell/wrap.py
+++ b/datadog/dogshell/wrap.py
@@ -211,8 +211,10 @@ def build_event_body(cmd, returncode, stdout, stderr, notifications):
         )
 
     if notifications:
+        if isinstance(notifications, bytes):
+            notifications = notifications.decode("utf-8", "replace")
         fmt_notifications = u"**>>>> NOTIFICATIONS <<<<**\n\n {notifications}\n".format(
-            notifications=notifications.decode("utf-8", "replace")
+            notifications=notifications
         )
 
     return \