USPS | National Dog Bite Prevention Week

National Dog Bite Prevention Week

May 19 – 25, 2013

The USPS has released it’s rankings of cities with the highest incidents of dog bites. Last year the USPS reported 5,879 attacks nationwide.

If your letter carrier considers your loose dog to be a threat, you will be notified that your mail will be available for pick up at the Post Office until the situation has been rectified.  In the case of a dog allowed to roam the neighborhood, mail delivery to your neighbors may be halted.

In addition, the Postal Service requests that dogs indoors be kept in a separate area away from glass or screen doors as dogs have been known to jump or break through these barriers.

Working with animal behavior experts, the Postal Service has developed tips to avoid dog attacks and become better dog owners.

How to be a Responsible Dog Owner

• Obedience training can teach dogs proper behavior and help owners control their dogs in any situation.
• Dogs can be protective of their territory and may interpret the actions of a letter carrier as a threat. Please take precautions when accepting mail in the presence of your pet.
• When a letter carrier comes to your home, keep your dog inside, away from the door, in another room or on a leash.
• Dogs that haven’t been properly socialized, receive little attention or handling, or are left tied up for long periods of time frequently turn into biters.

Avoiding Attacks

• Never leave a baby or small child alone with a dog.
• Don’t run past a dog. The dog’s natural instinct is to chase and catch you.
• If a dog threatens you, don’t scream. Avoid eye contact. Try to remain motionless until the dog leaves, then back away slowly until the dog is out of sight.
• Never approach a strange dog, especially one that’s tethered or confined.
• Don’t disturb a dog that is sleeping, eating or caring for puppies.
• Anyone wanting to pet a dog should first obtain permission from the owner.
• Always let a dog see and sniff you before petting the animal.
• If you believe a dog is about to attack you, try to place something between yourself and the dog, such as a backpack or a bicycle.
• If you are knocked down by a dog, curl into a ball and protect your face with your hands.

Dog bites are not only a USPS issue. Annually 4.7 million bites are reported – most of these occurring to children. Below are the statistics for bites by city for the USPS letter carriers.

Fiscal Year 2012 U.S. Postal Service Dog Attack City Ranking Ranking City, State Attacks 1 Los Angeles, CA 69 2 San Antonio, TX and Seattle, WA 42 3 Chicago, IL 41 4 San Francisco, CA 38 5 Philadelphia, PA 34 6 Detroit, MI 33 7 St. Louis, MO 32 8 Baltimore, MD and Sacramento, CA 29 9 Houston, TX and Minneapolis, MN 27 10 Cleveland and Dayton, OH 26 11 Buffalo and Brooklyn, NY 24 12 Denver, CO 23 13 Dallas, TX and Tacoma, WA 21 14 Wichita, KS 20

Please help our letter carriers perform their jobs in a safe and secure manner and keep your dog safe at the same time!