The number of postal employees attacked by dogs nationwide fell to 5,714 in 2018 — more than 500 fewer than in 2017 and more than 1,000 fewer since 2016. Today, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) highlights technology that likely helps to reduce potential attacks while releasing its annual list of cities with the most recorded dog attacks. The organization also highlights safety initiatives to help protect its employees and offers tips to pet owners.
“Our employees have been great at taking preventative measures against dog attacks, but they need help from our customers, too,” said USPS Safety Director Linda DeCarlo. “We are confident we can keep moving the trends of attacks downward, and ramping up overall awareness for everyone is the best way to do that.”
Tips and Technology
DeCarlo was in Brooklyn, NY today to kick off National Dog Bite Prevention Week, which runs Sunday, April 14, through Saturday, April 20. According to her, technology supports carrier safety in at least two ways: Mobile Delivery Devices, or scanners, used by carriers to confirm customer delivery, include a feature to indicate the presence of a dog at an individual address. And the Package Pickup application asks customers to indicate if dogs are at their address when they schedule package pickups, which allows USPS to send alerts to those carriers.
The Postal Service offers the following safety tips:
When a letter carrier delivers mail or packages to your front door, place your dog in a separate room and close that door before opening the front door. Dogs have been known to burst through screen doors or plate glass windows to attack visitors.
Parents should remind children and other family members not to take mail directly from letter carriers in the presence of the family pet. The dog may view the letter carrier handing mail to a family member as a threatening gesture.
If a letter carrier feels threatened by a dog, or if a dog is loose or unleashed, the owner may be asked to pick up mail at a Post Office or another facility until the letter carrier is assured the pet has been restrained. If the dog is roaming the neighborhood, the pet owner’s neighbors also may be asked to pick up their mail at the area’s Post Office.
2018 Dog Attack Rankings by City
A total of 5,714 postal employees were attacked by dogs in 2018. The top 20 rankings are comprised of 29 cities, as some cities reported the same number of attacks:
National Dog Bite Prevention Week is a registered trademark of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
