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Home » California Leads The Nation In Mail Carrier Dog Bites

California Leads The Nation In Mail Carrier Dog Bites

by CLAYCORD.com
31 comments

More than 5,400 postal employees were attacked by dogs in the United States in 2021.

From nips and bites to vicious attacks, aggressive dog behavior poses a serious threat to postal employees and the public. To highlight the enormity of this serious issue, the U.S. Postal Service is providing information on the dos and don’ts of responsible dog ownership as part of its annual National Dog Bite Awareness Week public service campaign.

“Every year, thousands of postal employees are attacked by dogs as they deliver America’s mail. And while it’s a dog’s natural instinct to protect their family and home, we ask all customers to act responsibly by taking safety precautions with their dogs while the mail is being delivered,” said USPS Employee Safety and Health Awareness Manager Leeann Theriault. “When a carrier comes to the residence, keep the dog inside the house and away from the door — or behind a fence on a leash — to avoid an attack.”

Being a Responsible Pet Owner

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Even friendly dogs will bite, depending on the circumstance. Dogs are primarily territorial in nature and protective of their owners and their owners’ property. Defending its territory sometimes means attacking — and possibly biting — the letter carrier. Dog owners are responsible for controlling their dogs.

The best way to keep everyone safe from dog bites is to recognize and promote responsible pet ownership.

Most people know the approximate time their letter carrier arrives every day.

Securing your dog before the carrier approaches your property will minimize any dog-carrier interactions.

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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 the dog.
  • Never assume a dog won’t bite.
  • Make some noise or rattle a fence to alert the dog if entering a yard.
  • Never attempt to pet or feed a dog.
  • Place their foot against an outward swinging door.
  • 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 their mail satchel — and use dog repellent, if necessary.

Even though postal officials ask customers to control their dogs, unfortunately dog bites still happen, which may result in injuries to our carriers and costly medical expenses for dog owners.

Carriers do have tools to remind them about dogs on their routes. There is a dog alert feature tool on their handheld scanners to remind them of a possible dog hazard and they use dog warning cards as reminders when they sort their mail for their routes that a dog that may interfere with delivery.

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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 dog is properly restrained.

2022 Dog Attack Rankings by State:

31 Comments
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Maybe because we have more mailmen who walk their routes?

Fred

Stop making sense

In you’re face Texas!

We’re number 1 !!!

Didn’t I just read a Walnut Creek postman was attacked and robbed but it wasn’t a dog. Last week one postwoman was attacked in Lafayette. They are going after postal box keys. The carriers are going to have to get faster with their bear spray.

Yeah I read the same thing on another local blog.

Famous last words, “He doesn’t bite”

@Bob…”He doesn’t bite” is right up there with “Here, hold my beer”, and “No, it’s not loaded”.

States with the most people (and dogs) have the most dog bites. Crazy.

This really is a dog-bites-man story.

Yeah, do people not realize that states have wildly different population size? CA has over three times the people that OH does.

My mailman is totally afraid of dogs. But yea to his credit he’s learned the name of my Pitt bull who wanders out when the front door is open with tail wagging and he for sure keeps his distance but isn’t so scared anymore.

He just says something like “Hi Bella, now you stay there…”.

Yep. But this is the way that liberals make sense of numbers. They don’t bother to compare them to the population or interpret statistics in any meaningful way.

.
The provided statistics are HIGHLY misleading.
.
A better way methodology is to calculate the rate of incidents per population since California is a denser populated state.
.

Yes, the density of Californians is often underreported. Hence the elections turn out as they do.

I have a friend who was a mailman, he always gave the dogs on his route treats. Those dogs were always happy to see him, wagging their tails expecting a treat.

@ Dawg I’ve always done the same.
All the dogs on my regular stops love me!
Every new dog I meet gets a treat & we’re friends forever.

I think the dog population probably mirrors the people population so it’s skewed, you need per capita info.

Am I the only one finding humor in the fact that Claycord has this article above the one about free dogs?

Back along time ago a guy delivering throw away newspapers came up on my grandparents porch. Rolly the German Shepherd they own ripped the poor guys pants off. My Grandmother sewed up his pants and he was on his way. How would that have played out today?

Simple, irresponsible dog owners are the only reason these bites occur.

Come on… give the dog some credit

Maybe the owners of the dogs should keep an eye out for their dogs.

In my early years as a paperboy I was only bitten once by a dog. Most dogs knew me and were friendly. I worked on the rest and won over many converts. Nonetheless, I had a walking stick in case of emergency.

People who insist on owning vicious or poorly trained dogs should have to get a postal box.and pick up their mail.

Well then deliver the mail on time then you wont have to get a reprimand form the pups.

🤣🤣🤣

What makes the numbers even more amazing is that our mail carrier only delivers about 4 days a week!

DA Rob Bonta needs to start prosecuting these dogs for assault on federal employees.

Mailmen deliver to from toors? Our mailboxes are out in the street. Postman doesn’t get out of the truck.

Consider yourself luck Mika, where I live there is NO mail delivery !
We have to take our dogs with us to the post office and we pick up the mail ourselves.

Its always so awful to see those guys on the news after a fatal dog mauling. Interviewed outside the trailer without a shirt, “Yep, Pit Bulls always get a bad rap. But hell, he’s never done anything like this before, just up and killed one the twins, damdest thing I ever saw”. Those postal carriers are brave people.

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