Houston leads the list in dog attacks on postal workers, again



Take a look at America's most popular dog breeds and their personalities. Mail carrier Lee Jones Jr. says he has been bitten twice by a dog on his route.

Take a look at America's most popular dog breeds and their personalities. Mail carrier Lee Jones Jr. says he has been bitten twice by a dog on his route. Photo: Johnny Hanson, For The Chronicle Photo: Johnny Hanson, For The Chronicle Image 1 of / 48 Caption Close Houston leads the list in dog attacks on postal workers, again 1 / 48 Back to Gallery

Houston has retaken the top spot when it comes to dogs attacking postal workers. Although we've reclaimed the title from Los Angeles, it's obviously not something to brag about.

Each year the United States Postal Service releases a list of cities that have the most reports of dogs biting postal workers.

In 2015, Houston led the pack (pardon the pun) with 77 total dog attacks on postal workers, up from just 63 attacks in 2014, according to the postal service. Nationwide, 6,549 postal employees were arracked by dogs last year, the USPS said.

The annual report always coincides with National Dog Bite Prevention Week, which aims to get the word out about dog attack prevention. Sadly some dog attacks can prove fatal for the very young and the elderly.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4.5 million Americans are bitten by dogs annually and half of those victims are children.

THE 2014 REPORT: Houston comes in second for dog bites on postal workers

In most years, Houston and Los Angeles trade places as the top dog-bite city, but in 2015, Los Angeles fell to the No. 4 spot, with San Diego and Cleveland, Ohio, tied for second place.

Los Angeles beat out the Bayou City in 2014 with 74 attacks. But last year, the City of Angels had 19 fewer dog attacks than in 2014, with just 56 reported.

Dallas was tied for third place with Chicago in 2015 with 57 dog attacks. Fort Worth and San Antonio tied for tenth place with 39 dog attacks.

Dogs attacking postal workers or anyone for that matter is a problem that needs to be addressed.

To help address the problem of dogs attacking postal workers, representatives from Houston's animal shelter and adoption facility, BARC, routinely take part in postal service training exercises to educate carriers on how to diffuse and prevent situations with certain four-legged troublemakers.

RELATED: Dogs that have bitten the most people

The USPS always reminds customers to keep their animals secured if a postal workers comes by. They also note that to some dogs children taking mail from a stranger can be construed as a threatening act to a dog.

In the event that a postal worker feels threatening by a dog at a residence its possible that the customer might be asked to instead pick up their mail at their local post office until assurances are made that the dog will be secured.

We're not sure if its the color blue of the uniforms but dogs and postal workers seem to have had a bad relationship over the years. It's possible that dogs can smell bills and are trying to protect us.

The top cities in the United States for dog attacks on USPS employees

1. Houston

2. San Diego / Cleveland, OH

3. Chicago / Dallas

4. Los Angeles

5. Louisville

6. Kansas City

7. Philadelphia

8. Columbus, OH

9. Portland, OR

10. Fort Worth / San Antonio