What:

The U.S. Postal Service will commemorate its annual National Dog Bite Awareness Week by teaming up with San Diego Humane Society to highlight the danger of dog attacks on mail carriers and to share dog bite prevention tips.

Nationwide, 5,822 dog attacks on Postal Service employees occurred in 2023, an increase of 10 percent over the 5,290 dog attacks that occurred the previous year.

San Diego ranked sixth highest in the nation among all U.S. cities in the number of dog attacks on mail carriers, with 41 such incidents. That number was up 5 percent over the 2022 total of 39 dog attacks on San Diego carriers.

“The Postal Service takes the safety of our employees as seriously as we take our commitment to delivering America’s mail,” said USPS Safety Manager Diane Venable. “        We ask that our customers ‘deliver’ for us by being responsible pet owners and making sure that their dogs are secured when our carriers appear at their mailboxes.”

“The work of mail carriers and delivery personnel unintentionally reinforces the effectiveness of barking for many of our dogs,” said Juliette Nash, Community Animal Training Manager at the San Diego Humane Society. “If someone approaches and the dog barks to protect their property, they are given the perfect positive reinforcement when the mail carrier immediately leaves, and our dog has effectively scared off the perceived threat. Luckily, there are a lot of ways to mitigate this, through intentional positive reinforcement training, to help our pets feel calmer in these situations.”

Who:

Media are invited to meet up with a USPS mail carrier and San Diego Humane Society representatives on a mail delivery route with homes containing dogs. The following will be available for interviews:

• Carlos Dominguez, USPS Mail Carrier - Will deliver mail to homes with dogs and be available to share his experience as a dog attack victim.
• Diane Venable, USPS San Diego Safety Manager - Available to explain how USPS trains its mail carriers to respond to the threat of dog attacks.
• Juliette Nash, Community Animal Training Manager, San Diego Humane Society – Available to explain dog behaviors & provide dog bite prevention tips
• Nina Thompson, Director of Public Relations, San Diego Humane Society

When:

Noon on Wednesday, June 5, 2024

RSVP to maria.m.lunario@usps.gov

Where:

Corner of Carlos & J Streets
Near Greenwood Memorial Park
San Diego CA 92102

Background:

Running June 2-9, National Dog Bite Awareness Week is a USPS-sponsored public service campaign that offers safety tips and emphasizes the need for increased owner responsibility in the prevention of dog attacks. Its theme this year is “Don’t Let Your Dog Bite the Hand That Serves You.”

Below is a list of the U.S. cities and states with the highest number of dog attacks of USPS mail carriers during 2023. San Diego is 6th in the nation, with a total of 41 dog attacks of mail carriers. California is tops among all states, with 727.

	CITY	# of DOG BITES	Rank by count
1	Los Angeles, CA	65	1
2	Houston, TX	56	2
3	Chicago IL	48	3
4	St. Louis, MO	46	4
5	Cleveland, OH	44	5
6	SAN DIEGO, CA	41	6
7	Dallas, TX	39	7
8	Cincinnati, OH	38	8
9	Philadelphia, PA	34	9
10	Columbus, OH	33	10

	STATE	# of DOG BITES	Rank by count
1	CALIFORNIA	727	1
2	Texas	411	2
3	Ohio	359	3
4	Pennsylvania	334	4
5	Illinois	316	5
6	New York	296	6
7	Florida	193	7
8	North Carolina	185	8
9	Michigan	183	9
10	Missouri	180	10

Additional information about Dog Bite Awareness Week is available at the USPS National Dog Bite Awareness Week page.

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