What:

The postal team at the Main Post Office are hosting a Dog Bite Awareness event filled with safety dog bite skits, helpful dog bite prevention tips, and information to share with the community about being responsible pet owners

Main Office Post Office is one of the top five offices in Los Angeles to experience dog bites among other city offices in the CA 5 District. The Postal Service invites the media to interview in activities aimed at reminding the carriers to be vigilant while on duty.

When:

Thursday, June 12, 2024, 7 a.m.

Where:

Los Angeles Main Post Office
7101 S Central Avenue (entrance off Florence Avenue gate)
Los Angeles, CA 90001

Who:

Main Office Management Team
Cherice Harris, CA 5 Safety Ambassador
Main Office Letter Carriers

RSVP:

Media inquiries only: RSVP with USPS Strategic Communications Specialist, Natashi Garvins at natashi.l.garvins@usps.gov.

Background:

As part of the USPS 2025 National Dog Bite Awareness Campaign, the organization is offering crucial information on how dog owners can be good stewards for safe mail delivery and ensure the safety of mail carriers. Incidents involving dog attacks on Postal Service employees rose to more than 6,000 cases last year.

Dog Owners Can Help With Safe Mail Delivery

Many of us are dog lovers, but few of us are dog experts. Even dogs that have never shown signs of aggression can react in ways their owners don’t expect. They can act without warning on their instinct to protect their owners and their owners’ property. Dogs may attack not only to defend their territory, but also when they feel startled, anxious or unwell. It’s not just about bad or aggressive dogs — it’s about unpredictable moments.

Most people know the approximate time their letter carrier arrives every day. Securing your dog before the carrier approaches your property will minimize any potentially dangerous interactions.

Keep your dog in a separate room or area away from the door when the mail carrier comes to your house. If you go outside, close the door firmly behind you and make sure it is secured so your dog doesn’t slip out or bust through it unexpectedly. If you are outside with your dog while mail is being delivered, make sure your dog is secured away from the mail carrier and on a leash. Never accept the mail from your mail carrier in the presence of your dog.

Pet owners also should remind children not to take mail directly from a letter carrier because the dog may view the carrier as a threat to the child.

Sign up for USPS Informed Delivery and See the Mail on Your Electronic Device Before It Arrives

By using USPS Informed Delivery, a free service, customers can digitally preview incoming mail and packages from a computer, tablet or mobile device. Millions of customers have enrolled since the service was launched in 2017. Sign up at informeddelivery.usps.com. This service can help dog owners anticipate when their carrier will arrive.

The Cost of a Dog Attack

When a postal employee suffers an injury from a dog attack, it can cost the dog owner thousands of dollars because they could be responsible for medical bills, lost wages, uniform replacement costs, and pain and suffering for the employee.

“Customers may not consider their dog a danger to others, however, to a letter carrier like me, all dogs can be considered a threat when delivering the mail,” said Jonah Helfrich, a Blue Bell, PA, letter carrier. “I was recently delivering mail and a dog barged through a door and bit me on the wrist, which required me to seek medical treatment. I strongly encourage all dog owners to take precautions to make sure their dog is secure when mail is being delivered.”

Mail Carriers Know How to Deliver Safely

Mail 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.

Mail carriers are trained to:

• Make a non-threatening noise or rattle a fence to alert a dog if entering a yard;
• Never startle a dog;
• Keep their eyes on any dog;
• Never assume a dog will not bite;
• Never attempt to pet or feed a dog; and
• Place their foot against an outward swinging door to prevent a dog from escaping.

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 a mail satchel — and to use dog repellent, if necessary.

Mail carriers have tools to alert them to dogs on their routes. A dog alert feature on carriers’ handheld scanners can remind them of a possible dog hazard, and dog warning cards must be used during mail sorting to alert carriers to addresses where a dog may interfere with delivery.

Mail Delivery Could Be Suspended Because of Unsecured Dog

When a carrier feels unsafe, mail service can be stopped.

Until the carrier feels safe enough to restart delivery, the mail will have to be picked up at the dog owner’s local Post Office.

If a carrier feels a house or neighborhood is unsafe to deliver the mail and there is no way to inform residents their mail service has been suspended, the residents will have to contact the supervisor at their local Post Office for more information. The residents would also have to pick up their mail at the Post Office until it is safe to resume delivery.

If a dangerous dog issue is not resolved, owners can be required to rent a Post Office box to receive mail.

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