What:

A Des Moines Letter Carrier and a member of the local management team will be available to talk to media about their experience with dogs while on their route and give consumer information on how to keep your dog from attacking delivery drivers, paper deliveries, service personnel and children.

In 2019, Postal Employees in Iowa were bitten 89 times.

Postal Employees in Des Moines have been bitten 6 times already this year.

A total of 5,803 postal employees were attacked by dogs in 2019.

Who:

Our local Letter Carrier, Andy Bechtel, and Manager Customer Service Operations, Richard Foust Jr., will talk about ways that our carriers keep themselves safe and what pet owners can do to keep others in the community safe from dog bites.

When:

10:30 a.m.
Tuesday, June 16, 2020

Where:

University Place Station
2323 Forest Ave
Des Moines, IA 50311

Background:

Postal Service officials report that in 2019, 5,803 letter carriers experienced dog bites or dog attacks. With deliveries every day, including Sundays and holidays, carriers continue to experience dog bites in urban, suburban and rural settings.

Dog attacks and bites are 100 percent preventable when dog owners remain vigilant and properly restrain their dogs.

To ensure mail carriers’ safety, dog owners must securely lock their dog in another room until a delivery exchange is done. If a dog is outside, the dog must be leashed away from the mailbox.

When a carrier feels unsafe, mail service could be interrupted, not only for the dog owner but for the entire neighborhood. When mail service is interrupted, mail will have to be picked up at the Post Office and service will not be restored until the dog is properly restrained.

With your help, we can keep our carriers, your neighbors and your dogs safe. Thank you for protecting your pet, and our mail carriers, as we continue to bring packages and other important correspondence to your door each day.

2019 Dog Attack Rankings by City

For the 2019 Dog Attack Rankings in your specific city or town — 50 cities make up the top 25 rankings.

Rank	Office City	2019
1	HOUSTON	83
2	LOS ANGELES	74
3	CHICAGO	54
4	CLEVELAND	51
5	DALLAS	39
6	COLUMBUS	35
7	PHILADELPHIA	34
8	TOLEDO	32
9	DENVER	30
10	SAN DIEGO	29
11	LOUISVILLE	28
	BALTIMORE	28
	SAN ANTONIO	28
12	FORT WORTH	27
13	DETROIT	26
	CINCINNATI	26
14	SACRAMENTO	25
	KANSAS CITY	25
	EL PASO	25
15	MEMPHIS	24
16	PHOENIX	23
17	ST LOUIS	22
	ALBUQUERQUE	22
18	JACKSONVILLE	21
	INDIANAPOLIS	21
	CHARLOTTE	21
	SEATTLE	21
19	LONG BEACH	20
	MINNEAPOLIS	20
	DAYTON	20
20	MIAMI	19
	PITTSBURGH	19
21	OMAHA	18
	BROOKLYN	18
	CANTON	18
22	ANAHEIM	17
	FRESNO	17
	OAKLAND	17
	NEW ORLEANS	17
23	LAS VEGAS	16
	YOUNGSTOWN	16
24	SANTA ANA	15
	BATON ROUGE	15
	BUFFALO	15
25	SAN FRANCISCO	14
	ROCHESTER	14
	AKRON	14
	NASHVILLE	14
	AUSTIN	14
	RICHMOND	14

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