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The man’s best friend appears to have the bones to choose along with workers at the US Post Office in Los Angeles.
Last year, 77 post office employees were attacked by dogs in Los Angeles, earning the unfavourable top spot on the postal service incident list for the third year in a row.
California ranks number one in all states for attacks on postal service employees. There were 701 incidents reported in Golden State in 2024. This is 38% more than Texas, so 438 attacks are second in the number 2nd.
The Postal Service released its rankings this week as part of its annual National Dog Bite Awareness Campaign, which aims to teach dog owners to prevent future attacks. The data also shows that dog attacks are a growing problem, increasing from 5,300 incidents nationwide in 2022 to over 6,000 in 2024.
Even dogs that have never shown any indication of aggression may have an unexpected response to the postal airline, the postal warning.
“Dogs may attack not only to protect their territory, but also when they feel surprised, anxious or unwell,” the post office said in a news release. “It’s not just bad or aggressive dogs. It’s an unpredictable moment.”
Residents are advised to secure the dog inside before the carrier approaches the property. Children should also be warned not to accept emails from carriers in the presence of dogs, as pets may perceive workers as threats.
Owners can sign up for USPS-based delivery alerts to get a better sense of when their careers are coming.
Dog attacks not only threaten the safety and health of postal workers, but can cost a significant amount of money on owners who may be responsible for thousands of dollars in medical costs and wage losses.
“Customers cannot view their dog as dangerous to others, but for letter carriers like me, all dogs can be viewed as a threat when delivering mail,” Letter Carrier Jonah Helfrich said in a statement. “I recently delivered mail and my dog was messing up the door and biting my wrist, so I had to ask for treatment.”
Dangerous dogs can also encourage USPS to suspend services to certain addresses until the carrier feels safe enough to resume delivery.
In 2020, postal delivery was stopped at Mar Vista Gardens, a public housing complex with more than 1,800 tenants in Los Angeles’ Delray area.
If the dog’s problem persists, the owner will need to rent a post office box to receive the email.
Postal service workers are given safety training to minimize the risk of encountering dangerous dogs.
For example, they are taught to make unthreatening noises, warn the dog to be present when they enter the yard, and to look at the dog during delivery. They are also trained to stand on the ground during attacks and use their satchel or dog repellents to protect themselves when necessary.
However, these procedures were not sufficient to increase the number of dog attacks.
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