Dogs Attacked 132 Colorado Postal Carriers in 2017

Prevention Tips Offered for Dog Owners

April 06, 2018 



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information provided to carriers on delivery scanner

DENVER — 132 postal employees were attacked by dogs in Colorado in 2017 — 24 fewer than the year before. The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has released its annual ranking of top dog attack cities, highlighted safety initiatives to help protect its employees and offered tips to pet owners.

Nationally, USPS reported 6,244 dog attacks for 2017, more than 500 fewer than the year before.

New technology is one reason for the decrease. Employee delivery scanners now display safety messages, including homes where dogs are present. This is especially helpful to carriers who are delivering in unfamiliar neighborhoods. Customers who choose Package Pickup at usps.com can indicate if there are dogs at their addresses when they schedule package pickups.

While the dog problem for postal carriers is very real, it’s not just a postal problem. Half of the 4.5 million Americans bitten by dogs annually are children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Postal Service shares the following dog bite prevention tips.

  • If a postal carrier delivers a certified letter or a package 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 carriers.
  • Dog owners should remind their children about the need to keep the family dog secured. Parents should tell 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.

Click this link to watch a video on dog bite awareness and prevention tips.

2017 COLORADO Dog Attacks

DENVER

35

COLORADO SPRINGS

14

PUEBLO

14

BOULDER

5

ARVADA

4

FORT COLLINS

4

LITTLETON

4

LOVELAND

4

WESTMINSTER

4

AURORA

3

BRIGHTON

3

NORTHGLENN

3

WHEAT RIDGE

3

COMMERCE CITY

2

DELTA

2

ENGLEWOOD

2

EVERGREEN

2

FORT MORGAN

2

GOLDEN

2

GREELEY

2

MONTROSE

2

SALIDA

2

STERLING

2

ECKERT

1

EVANS

1

FAIRPLAY

1

FORT LUPTON

1

FOWLER

1

GRAND JUNCTION

1

JOHNSTOWN

1

LONGMONT

1

PARKER

1

PEYTON

1

WELLINGTON

1

WINDSOR

1

2017 Dog Attack Rankings by City
A total of 6,244 postal employees were attacked by dogs in calendar year 2017 – 511 fewer than 2017. The top 20 city rankings are comprised of 35 cities as more than one city had the same number of attacks.

Rank

City

State

2017

1

HOUSTON

TX

71

2

LOS ANGELES

CA

67

3

ST LOUIS

MO

52

4

CLEVELAND

OH

49

5

SAN DIEGO

CA

46

6

BALTIMORE

MD

44

6

SAN ANTONIO

TX

44

7

COLUMBUS

OH

43

8

DALLAS

TX

40

9

LOUISVILLE

KY

39

10

CHICAGO

IL

38

11

DENVER

CO

35

12

LONG BEACH

CA

32

12

DETROIT

MI

32

12

KANSAS CITY

MO

32

13

OAKLAND

CA

28

13

SEATTLE

WA

28

14

MINNEAPOLIS

MN

27

14

CHARLOTTE

NC

27

14

PHILADELPHIA

PA

27

15

SAN JOSE

CA

26

15

FORT WORTH

TX

26

16

MIAMI

FL

25

16

INDIANAPOLIS

IN

25

16

ROCHESTER

NY

25

16

CINCINNATI

OH

25

16

TOLEDO

OH

25

17

PHOENIX

AZ

24

17

SACRAMENTO

CA

24

17

PORTLAND

OR

24

18

ALBUQUERQUE

NM

22

18

RICHMOND

VA

22

19

BROOKLYN

NY

21

20

WICHITA

KS

20

20

MEMPHIS

TN

20

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

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