Pet Owners Can Follow These Preventive Tips

Three communities especially located in New York City Reported Dog Attacks in the Northeastern US

BROOKLYN, NY — The U.S. Postal Service is alerting customers to the number of dog attacks that have occurred to mail carriers. Dog bites in Brooklyn, Flushing and Jamaica are an extensive problem with more than 111 reported attacks since 2015 to May 2016. Nationwide, 5,581 postal employees were attacked last year and the USPS offers tips to reduce attacks to letter carriers and everyone in each community.

There’s a myth often heard: “Don’t worry, my dog won’t bite”. However, dog attacks are a nationwide issue and not just a postal problem. Any dog can bite and all attacks are preventable through responsible pet ownership.

Your help is essential to keeping everyone safe and without incident.

According to safety reports New York City communities have among the highest number of dog attacks in the tri-state area.   Throughout the communities of Brooklyn, Flushing, and Jamaica from January to May 2016 alone, there are 33 reported dog bites to letter carriers, up 40 percent from the same time last year. 

The number of attacks without recordable injuries – or what the USPS call’s a “near miss” -- is 10 times greater.  These near miss experiences are just as daunting and memorable and account for 330 additional estimated potential incidents that have happened in a short period of time.  Communities in the surrounding Triboro District delivery zones including Staten Island and Western Long Island are also experiencing dog attacks to letter carriers.

The American Medicine of Veterinarians Association reports that homeowner insurance claims due to dog bites have gone up more than 50% in the past 10 years. Each dog bite incident cost roughly $28,000 in medical treatments by insurers.  Billions of dollars later, though, does not begin to quantify the harm done by bites from Fife, Princess, Mr. Tiggers, Laddie-Boy and Cuddles — there are 70 million good dogs, but…ANY DOG CAN BITE.

So far, this years dog bite incidents are troubling, as the number of (OSHA) Occupational Safety and Health Administration reported dog attacks and bites among postal employees regularly begin to rise during the months of May, June and July.

Brooklyn Postmaster Anthony Impronto, Flushing Postmaster Carmen Fede and Jamaica Postmaster John Lunghi encourage the news media to share the following preventive tips when reporting on this critical issue:    

• If a letter carrier delivers mail or packages to your front door, place your dog into a separate room and close the door before opening the front door. Dogs have been known to burst through screen doors or plate-glass windows to get at strangers.

• Dog owners should remind their children about the need to keep the family dog secured. Parents should remind their children not to take mail directly from letter carriers in the presence of the family pet as the dog may see handing mail to a child 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 vicious dog or if a dog is running loose, the owner may be asked to pick up the mail at the Post Office until the carrier is assured the pet has been restrained. If the dog is roaming the neighborhood, the pet owner’s neighbors may be asked to pick up their mail at the Post Office as well.

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