June 11, 2020

U.S. Postal Service Releases Dog Attack National Rankings

National Dog Bite Awareness Week Starts June 14

Dog bite image

WASHINGTON, DC — The number of U.S. Postal Service (USPS) employees attacked by dogs nationwide fell to 5,803 in 2019 — more than 200 fewer than in 2018 and more than 400 fewer since 2017. Today, USPS highlights technology that helps 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 as part of the Postal Service’s National Dog Bite Awareness Week, which runs Sunday, June 14, through Saturday, June 20.

“Even during these difficult times, it’s important for our customers to understand that letter carriers are still coming to homes daily and need to deliver mail safely,” said USPS Safety Awareness Program Manager Chris Johnson. “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.”

Tips and Technology

According to Johnson, technology supports carrier safety in two ways: Mobile Delivery Devices, handheld scanners used by carriers to confirm customer delivery, include a feature to indicate the presence of a dog at an individual address. And the Informed Delivery service alerts customers to mail and packages coming to their homes, allowing them to plan for the carrier’s arrival by securing dogs safely.

The Postal Service offers the following safety tips:

  • When 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.
  • Parents should remind children and other family members not to take mail directly from letter carriers in the presence of the family pet. The dog may view the letter carrier handing mail to a family member as a threatening gesture.
  • 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 location or another facility 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 location.

The Postal Service has a short dog bite video available on its YouTube site, USPS TV.

2019 Dog Attack Rankings by City
A total of 5,803 USPS employees were attacked by dogs in 2019. The top 20 rankings comprise 30 cities, as some cities reported the same number of attacks:

City State 2019

HOUSTON

TX

85

LOS ANGELES

CA

74

CHICAGO

IL

54

CLEVELAND

OH

51

DALLAS

TX

40

COLUMBUS

OH

35

PHILADELPHIA

PA

34

TOLEDO

OH

32

DENVER

CO

30

SAN DIEGO

CA

29

BALTIMORE

MD

29

LOUISVILLE

KY

28

SAN ANTONIO

TX

28

FORT WORTH

TX

27

DETROIT

MI

26

CINCINNATI

OH

26

SACRAMENTO

CA

25

KANSAS CITY

MO

25

EL PASO

TX

25

MEMPHIS

TN

24

PHOENIX

AZ

23

ST LOUIS

MO

22

ALBUQUERQUE

NM

22

LONG BEACH

CA

21

JACKSONVILLE

FL

21

INDIANAPOLIS

IN

21

CHARLOTTE

NC

21

SEATTLE

WA

21

MINNEAPOLIS

MN

20

DAYTON

OH

20

 

Top 10 Dog Bite States:

State 2019 2018

CA

777

794

TX

491

462

OH

378

304

IL

323

273

NY

320

339

MI

238

224

PA

237

252

FL

229

198

NJ

169

147

NC

162

169

 

For more data related to your area, contact your local USPS Corporate Communications professional.

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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