As dog attacks on postal workers have risen to over 6,000 cases in the past year, the US Postal Service will launch its annual National Dog Bite Awareness campaign starting June 1st.
According to USPS data, Los Angeles recorded 77 dog attacks on postal workers in 2024.
Houston continued with 65 incidents, while Chicago ranked third with 57.
Other California cities have also created a top 20 listings, including San Diego, Sacramento, San Francisco, Stockton and Oakland.
rankcity, attack statistics 1los Angeles, California772Houston, Texas653Chicago, Illinois574st. Louis, Missouri 475Cincinnati, Ohio 446dallas, Texas 437Kansas City, Missouri 407Cleveland, Ohio 408San Diego, California 359Denver, Colorado 3410SAN Antonio, Texas 3210Philadelphia, Penis Sylvania 3210DETROIT, OHIO3211MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota 3012Indianapolis, Indiana 2613Phoenix, Arizona 2513Memphis, Tennessee 2514omaha, nebraska 2414louisville, Kentucky 2415rochest, New York, New York Texas 2117San Francisco, California 2017oklahoma City, Oklahoma 2017Milwaukee, Wisconsin 2017Albukerque, New Mexico 2018Stockton, California 1819Youngstown, Ohio Pennsylvania 1719Miami, Florida 1719Des Moines, Iowa 1720st. Petersburg, Florida1520Fort, Texas1520Birmingham, Alabama15Source: US Postal Service
All over California, he led all states in 701 dog bite incidents, with Texas in second place and Ohio in third place.
2024 Dog bites/Dog incident data Dog bitstop 10 State1California70112Texas43823ohio35034illinois344445New York32256Pennsylvania31667Michigan23178florida21089Missouri207910North Carolina16910suour
This year’s campaign is based on the theme of “Make your dog safe and keep delivery on track” and encourage pet owners to take responsibility for properly restraining their dogs during postal delivery.
The initiative will run throughout June and will use the hashtag #DogbiteAwareness to spread awareness across social media.
“The best way to keep you safe from dog attacks is to recognize and promote the responsibility of pet ownership,” said Leeann Theriault, Health and Safety Awareness Manager for USPS employees, in a statement. “All dogs can chew, regardless of their breed, size or age.”
The USP emphasizes that many attacks occur unexpectedly, even from dogs that have no history of attacks. Post offices are trained to be vigilant in the neighborhood where dogs are present and follow safety protocols to avoid surprise them.
Postal services advise customers to secure the dog in another room or area away from the door during postal delivery. Pet owners should also avoid opening the door while the carrier is present and ensure that children do not collect mail in the presence of the pet.
In addition to physical harm, dog attacks on USPS workers can lead to costly impacts for dog owners, including medical costs, loss of wages, and even replacement costs.
If the postman feels unsafe, you can stop posting to the residence until the dog is properly secured. Residents will then need to obtain emails from the local post office. In some cases, USPS may need to rent a PO box to resume service to pet owners.
As part of the annual campaign, USPS encourages pet owners to take preventative actions. “The most important message you need to remember is to protect your dog and keep him away from carriers because mail is being delivered,” Theriault says. “Please help ensure everyone in our community is safe.”
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