USPS Dog Bite Awareness Month – San Diego

What:

The Postal Service recently released its dog attack city rankings for 2025. The city of San Diego ranked 8th in the nation with 32 dog bites on postal employees last year. There were more than 60 throughout San Diego County, slightly fewer than in 2024.  

USPS is inviting media to speak with a San Diego letter carrier to talk about his experience with dogs while on the delivery route and give consumers information on how to keep dogs from attacking delivery drivers, service personnel, and others.

Who:

San Diego Letter Carrier Jesus Vela. Jesus is also available to conduct the interview in Spanish.

When:

Tuesday, June 9, 10:00 am

Where:

Carrier route in a San Diego neighborhood.

RSVP:

To obtain address and event confirmation, RSVP to Communications Specialist John Hyatt at john.t.hyatt@usps.gov.

Background:

As part of the USPS 2026 National Dog Bite Awareness Campaign, “Don’t Turn Your Back on Dog Bite Prevention,” the organization is offering crucial information on how dog owners can be good stewards for safe mail delivery and ensure the safety of our employees. More than 5,200 incidents involving dog attacks on Postal Service employees occurred last year, down from the previous 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. Sign up at informeddelivery.usps.com. This service can help dog owners anticipate when their carrier will arrive.

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.

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. 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.

# # #

The United States Postal Service is an independent federal establishment, mandated to be self-financing and to serve every American community through the affordable, reliable and secure delivery of mail and packages to more than 170 million addresses six and often seven days a week. Overseen by a bipartisan Board of Governors, the Postal Service is celebrating its 250th year of service to customers amidst a network modernization plan aimed at restoring long-term financial sustainability, improving service, and maintaining the organization as one of America’s most valued and trusted brands.

The Postal Service generally 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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