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Post Offices take a bite out of dog bite awareness
Nationwide, there were more than 5,300 incidents involving dogs and mail carriers last year.
To better understand the potential danger to mail carriers, and even people in your community, the Postal Service is sponsoring the annual National Dog Bite Awareness Week, June 4 to 10.
“One bite is far worse than any bark,” said San Francisco Postmaster Doug Smith “Dogs that are not secured pose a threat to our carriers making their appointed rounds. We ask that our customers keep their dogs secured before their carrier arrives.”
National Dog Bite Awareness Week is a USPS-sponsored public service campaign that offers safety tips and emphasizes the need for increased owner responsibility in the prevention of dog attacks. Its theme this year is “Even good dogs have bad days.”
More than 5,300 postal employees were attacked by dogs last year. Many attacks could be avoided if dog owners would take a few extra moments of precaution.
Pet owners can help support safe mail delivery
Mail carriers know all dogs can bite, even those perceived as nonaggressive. Dogs are generally protective of their turf and dog owners have an important responsibility to control them to ensure safe mail delivery.
Most people know the approximate time their letter carrier arrives every day. Securing your dog before the carrier approaches your property will minimize any potentially dangerous interactions.
When a letter carrier comes to your home, keep dogs:
• Inside the house or behind a fence;
• Away from the door or in another room; or
• On a leash.
Pet owners also should remind children not to take mail directly from a letter carrier as the dog may view the carrier as a threat to the child.
Inform yourself, see the mail before it arrives
By using Informed Delivery, a free USPS service, customers can digitally preview incoming mail and packages from a computer, tablet or mobile device.
More than 52 million customers have enrolled since it was launched in 2017. Sign up is at https://www.usps.com/manage/informed-delivery.htm. This service can help dog owners anticipate when their carrier will arrive.
Many attacks reported by letter carriers came from dogs whose owners regularly stated, “My dog won’t bite.” Dog bites are entirely preventable. One bite is one too many.
Letter carriers are trained to observe an area where they know dogs may be present. They are taught to be alert for potentially dangerous conditions and to respect a dog’s territory.
Letter carriers are trained to:
• Not startle a dog;
• Keep their eyes on any dog;
• Never assume a dog will not bite;
• Make some noise or rattle a fence to alert a dog if entering a yard;
• Never attempt to pet or feed a dog; and
• Place their foot against an outward swinging door to prevent a dog from escaping.
If a dog attacks, carriers are also trained to stand their ground and protect their body by placing something between them and the dog — such as a mail satchel — and to use dog repellent, if necessary.
Even though postal officials ask customers to control their dogs, bites still happen and may result in injuries to carriers and costly medical expenses for dog owners. Please heed the above best practices to help stop dog bites and protect your mail carrier.
Carriers have tools to alert them to dogs on their routes. A dog alert feature on carriers’ handheld scanners can remind them of a possible dog hazard, and dog warning cards may be used during mail sorting to alert carriers to routes where a dog may interfere with delivery.
Lastly, when a carrier feels unsafe, mail service could be halted — not only for the dog owner, but for the entire neighborhood. When mail service is stopped, mail must be picked up at the Post Office. Service will not be restored until the aggressive dog is properly restrained.
