LOS ANGELES — The number of postal employees attacked by dogs nationwide reached 6,755 in 2016 — more than 200 higher than the year before. The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) released its annual ranking of top dog attack cities today, highlighted safety initiatives to help protect its employees and offered tips to pet owners.

“Even good dogs have bad days,” said U.S. Postal Service Safety Director Linda DeCarlo in Los Angeles, where postal employees suffered 80 attacks — more than any other city in 2016. “Dog bite prevention training and continuing education are important to keep pet owners, pets and those who visit homes — like letter carriers — happy and healthy.”

Forty cities make up the top 30 dog attack city rankings (see chart below).

Enhancing Employee Safety

DeCarlo highlighted USPS safety measures that alert letter carriers to dogs on their delivery routes. The Package Pickup application on usps.com asks customers to indicate if there are dogs at their addresses when they schedule package pickups. This information is provided to letter carriers on their delivery scanners, which also can send real-time updates if an unleashed dog is reported in a delivery area.



“The scanners that Postal Service letter carriers use to confirm a customer’s delivery include a feature for carriers to indicate the presence of a dog at an individual address,” said DeCarlo. “This information is particularly helpful for substitute carriers who fill in for regular carriers on their days off.”

DeCarlo was in Los Angeles to kick off National Dog Bite Prevention Week, which runs Sunday, April 9 through Saturday, April 15. The Postal Service, joined by the American Humane, American Veterinary Medical Association, Insurance Information Institute and State Farm Insurance, is driving home the message that dog bites are a national issue and education can help prevent dog attacks.

Half of the 4.5 million Americans bitten by dogs annually are children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

DeCarlo gave the following tips and encouraged sharing them using the hashtag #preventdogbites. Click this link to a video on dog bite prevention tips.

If 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. Dog owners should keep the family pet secured.

Parents should remind their children and other family members not to take mail directly from letter carriers in the presence of the family pet, as the dog may view the letter carrier handing mail to a family member as a threatening gesture.

The Postal Service places the safety of its employees as a top priority. 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 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.

2016 Dog Attack Rankings by City

A total of 6,755 postal employees were attacked by dogs in calendar year 2016. The top 30 city rankings are comprised of 41 cities as more than one city experienced the same number of attacks.

Rank City 2016 1 LOS ANGELES CA 80 2 HOUSTON TX 62 3 CLEVELAND OH 60 4 SAN DIEGO CA 57 5 LOUISVILLE KY 51 6 DETROIT MI 48 7 DENVER CO 47 8 CHICAGO IL 46 9 INDIANAPOLIS IN 44 10 MINNEAPOLIS MN 43 11 SAN ANTONIO TX 42 12 PORTLAND OR 41 12 DALLAS TX 41 13 PHILADELPHIA PA 40 14 COLUMBUS OH 39 15 BALTIMORE MD 36 16 PHOENIX AZ 35 17 CHARLOTTE NC 33 17 MEMPHIS TN 33 17 FORT WORTH TX 33 18 ST LOUIS MO 31 18 SEATTLE WA 31 19 SACRAMENTO CA 30 19 KANSAS CITY MO 30 20 BUFFALO NY 28 21 BROOKLYN NY 27 22 ST PAUL MN 26 23 NEW ORLEANS LA 25 24 CINCINNATI OH 24 25 WICHITA KS 23 25 OAKLAND CA 23 26 LONG BEACH CA 22 26 FLUSHING NY 22 27 SAN JOSE CA 21 27 LAS VEGAS NV 21 27 AKRON OH 21 28 OKLAHOMA CITY OK 20 28 RICHMOND VA 20 29 FRESNO CA 19 29 WASHINGTON DC 19 30 SHAWNEE MISSION KS 18

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

###

Media Contacts

Media are encouraged to contact local USPS spokespersons to conduct interviews or follow letter carriers on their rounds. Related contacts: American Humane, Mark Stubis, marks@americanhumane.org, 202.677.4227; American Veterinary Medical Assn., Sharon Granskog, sgranskog@avma.org, 847.285.6619; Insurance Information Institute, Loretta Worters, lorettaw@iii.org, 212.346.5545; and, State Farm Insurance, Missy Dundov, missy.dundov.sg5r@statefarm.com, 309.766.7087.

Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at about.usps.com/news/welcome.htm.

For reporters interested in speaking with a regional Postal Service public relations professional, please go to about.usps.com/news/media-contacts/usps-local-media-contacts.pdf. Follow us on Twitter (twitter.com/usps), Instagram (instagram.com/uspostalservice), Pinterest (pinterest.com/uspsstamps), LinkedIn (linkedin.com/company/usps), subscribe to our channel on YouTube (youtube.com/usps), like us on Facebook (facebook.com/usps) and view our Postal Postsblog (uspsblog.com).

For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and usps.com/postalfacts.