That trope about the mailman being bitten by the dog has been around forever, but it’s still a very real threat for today’s postal workers. In fact, incidents of dog attacks on U.S. Postal Service employees surged to more than 6-thousand cases last year. To help bring that number down, the U.S.P.S. is kicking off a month-long National Dog Bite Awareness Campaign starting June 1st, and reminding dog owners how to keep mail delivery safe.
- The theme of the campaign this year is “Secure Your Dog, Keep Deliveries on Track.”
- It encourages pet parents to put their dogs away from the door when the mail carrier comes to their house, since they know about what time the mail is delivered every day.
- U.S.P.S. asks dog owners to keep doors closed if they go outside, so the dog can’t follow and to not accept mail from the letter carrier in front of the dog.
- Kids also shouldn’t take mail directly from the letter carrier because the dog could see the carrier as a threat to the child.
- Some parts of the country are worse for dog bites and attacks on postal workers than others and new research from the U.S.P.S. reveals where they happen most.
- Los Angeles tops the list, with 77 bites or attacks in 2024.
- California was the worst state for dog attacks, 701 dog bite incidents happened there last year.
- Texas is second with 438, followed by Ohio with 350, Illinois with 344, and New York with 322.
Cities with the Most Dog Bites or Attacks in 2024
- Los Angeles, California - 77 bites/attacks
- Houston, Texas - 65 bites/attacks
- Chicago, Illinois - 57 bites/attacks
- St. Louis, Missouri - 47 bites/attacks
- Cincinnati, Ohio - 44 bites/attacks
- Dallas, Texas - 43 bites/attacks
- Kansas City, Missouri - 40 bites/attacks
- Cleveland, Ohio - 40 bites/attacks
- San Diego, California - 35 bites/attacks
- Denver, Colorado - 34 bites/attacks
Source: USPS