April 11, 2019
CHARLOTTE, NC – The number of postal employees attacked by dogs nationwide fell in 2018 by more than 500 compared to 2017 and by more than 1,000 since 2016. Dog bites across North Carolina dropped 11 percent, from 190 to 169, in 2018 compared to the previous year.
Tips and Technology
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) highlights technology that likely helps to reduce potential attacks while releasing its annual list of cities with the most recorded dog attacks. The organization also highlights safety initiatives to help protect its employees and offers tips to pet owners.
“Our employees have been great at taking preventative measures against dog attacks, but they need help from our customers, too,” said USPS Safety Director Linda DeCarlo. “We are confident we can keep moving the trends of attacks downward, and ramping up overall awareness for everyone is the best way to do that.”
DeCarlo was in Brooklyn, NY today to kick off National Dog Bite Prevention Week, which runs Sunday, April 14, through Saturday, April 20. According to DeCarlo, technology supports carrier safety in at least two ways:
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The Postal Service offers the following safety tips:
To access the video promoting Dog Bite Prevention, please click here.
2018 Dog Attack Rankings by City
A total of 5,714 postal employees were attacked by dogs in 2018. The top 20 rankings are comprised of 29 cities, as some cities reported the same number of attacks:
Office City |
Office State |
CY-18 |
CY-17 |
|
1 |
HOUSTON |
TX |
75 |
71 |
2 |
LOS ANGELES |
CA |
60 |
67 |
3 |
PHILADELPHIA |
PA |
51 |
27 |
4 |
CLEVELAND |
OH |
50 |
49 |
5 |
DALLAS |
TX |
49 |
40 |
6 |
SAN ANTONIO |
TX |
47 |
44 |
7 |
MINNEAPOLIS |
MN |
38 |
27 |
8 |
CHICAGO |
IL |
37 |
38 |
8 |
COLUMBUS |
OH |
37 |
43 |
10 |
FORT WORTH |
TX |
35 |
26 |
11 |
DETROIT |
MI |
34 |
32 |
12 |
SAN DIEGO |
CA |
33 |
46 |
13 |
CHARLOTTE |
NC |
32 |
27 |
13 |
MEMPHIS |
TN |
32 |
20 |
15 |
BALTIMORE |
MD |
31 |
44 |
15 |
DENVER |
CO |
31 |
35 |
15 |
KANSAS CITY |
MO |
31 |
32 |
18 |
ST. LOUIS |
MO |
30 |
52 |
19 |
ALBUQUERQUE |
NM |
29 |
22 |
19 |
SACRAMENTO |
CA |
29 |
24 |
21 |
OAKLAND |
CA |
28 |
28 |
22 |
SEATTLE |
WA |
27 |
28 |
23 |
CINCINNATI |
OH |
24 |
25 |
23 |
MIAMI |
FL |
24 |
25 |
23 |
PHOENIX |
AZ |
24 |
24 |
26 |
LOUISVILLE |
KY |
23 |
39 |
27 |
BROOKLYN |
NY |
22 |
21 |
27 |
LAS VEGAS |
NV |
22 |
19 |
27 |
PORTLAND |
OR |
22 |
24 |
A national map with statistics for each city can be accessed at dogbite.gov. National Dog Bite Prevention Week is a registered trademark of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
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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USPS NEWS