INDEPENDENCE, MO —Can you picture a member of your family attacking a mail carrier? Of course you couldn’t, but it happened 5,714 times last year across the nation. Lose dogs continue to plague some Independence neighborhoods leading to safety concerns for Postal Service Letter Carriers. On Monday, May 13th Animal Services will demonstrate animal behavior for more than 50 Independence Letter Carriers. This event is open to the media to attend.

 “In April, the United States Postal Service promoted National Dog Bite Awareness Week. I am asking our customers to extend their efforts and help make this “National Dog Bite Prevention Year,” says Independence Postmaster Deborah Anderson. “”My concern is not only for our employees, but the general population as well.”

What: Dog Behavior Demonstration
When: Monday, May 13th at 8:15 a.m.
Where: 301 W. Lexington Ave, Independence, MO 64050

Independence Post Office shared these tips to prevent dog attacks: 

• If a letter carrier delivers mail or packages to your front door, place your dog in a separate room and close that door before opening the front door. Dogs have been known to burst through screen doors or plate-glass windows to attack visitors. Dog owners should keep the family pet secured.
• Parents should remind their children and other family members not to take mail directly from letter carriers in the presence of the family pet, as the dog may view the letter carrier handing mail to a family member as a threatening gesture.
• The Postal Service places the safety of its employees as a top priority. If a letter carrier feels threatened by a dog, or if a dog is loose or unleashed, the owner may be asked to pick up mail at a Post Office until the letter carrier is assured the pet has been restrained. If the dog is roaming the neighborhood, the pet owner’s neighbors also may be asked to pick up their mail at the area’s Post Office.
• Dog owners who have access to postal notification features, such as Informed Delivery informeddelivery.com  for letter mail and package tracking, are urged to use these features to determine when the carrier is on their way and to ensure their dog has been properly restrained. Postal officials urge dog owners to restrain their animals on Sundays as well, as more residences now receive deliveries through the weekend.

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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