Dog Bite Prevention Background

The Victims

• More than 4.7 million people attacked annually.
• Children are the majority of victims and are 900 times more likely to be bitten than letter carriers.
• The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) report that small children, the elderly, and letter carri­ers, in that order, are the most frequent victims. Dog attacks are the most commonly reported childhood public health problem in the United States.
• The AVMA also reports that the number of dog attacks exceeds the reported instances of measles, whooping cough, and mumps, combined. Dog bite victims account for up to 5 percent of emergency room visits.
• Many of the Occupational Safety and Health Admin­istration recordable bites that were reported by 3,184 letter carriers in 2006 came from dogs whose owners use those famous last words “my dog won’t bite.”
• According to the AVMA, approximately 500,000 to 800,000 people are admitted to U.S. emergency departments annually with dog bite-associated inju­ries, and countless more bites go unreported and untreated.

How to Avoid Being Bitten

• Don’t run past a dog. The dog’s natural instinct is to chase and catch prey.
• If a dog threatens you, don’t scream. Avoid eye con­tact. Try to remain motionless until the dog leaves, then back away slowly until the dog is out of sight.
• Don’t approach a strange dog, especially one that’s tethered or confined.
• While letter carriers are discouraged from petting animals, people who choose to pet dogs should always let a dog see and sniff them before petting the animal.
• If you believe a dog is about to attack you, try to place something between yourself and the dog, such as a backpack or a bicycle.

How to Be a Responsible Dog Owner

• Obedience training can teach dogs proper behavior and help owners control their dog in any situation.
• When a letter carrier comes to your home, keep your dog inside, away from the door, in another room, or on a leash.
• Don’t let your child take mail from the letter carrier in the presence of your dog. Your dog’s instinct is to protect the family.
• Spay or neuter your dog. Neutered dogs are less likely to bite. HSUS statistics reflect that dogs that have not been spayed or neutered are up to three times more likely to be involved in a biting incident than neutered or spayed dogs.
• Dogs that haven’t been properly socialized, receive little attention or handling, or are left tied up for long periods of time frequently turn into biters.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: [Insert Your Name]
[Insert Date] [Insert Your Phone Number]
Internet: www.usps.com

Media Advisory
Letter Carriers at [City Name] Post Office Set Up a Very Special Chorus Line
for a Very Special Reason

WHAT: Letter carriers of the [Name] Post Office™ will line up chorus line style and display their dog bite scars to promote dog bite prevention. Postmaster [Name] and [Name] of [Any Other Partic­ipating Health or Animal Protection Agency] will speak about the problem of dog bites to the Postal Service™ and the community.

Media can also obtain tips on how to avoid dog bites and learn what dog owners can do to reduce the chances that their pet will injure someone.

WHEN: [Date and Time. Preferably no earlier than 10:00 a.m., or just before letter carriers depart for their routes.]

WHERE: [Post Office Location]

BACKGROUND: Three thousand one hundred eighty-four letter carriers were bitten by dogs last year but this number pales in comparison to the more than two million children who were needlessly victimized by dogs. The owners of many of the canines involved in those attacks believed their pet would never bite. This year, the Postal Service and its letter carriers are working to prevent these painful, sometimes fatal, injuries by promoting community awareness and responsible pet ownership.

CONTACT: [Name], postmaster at [Telephone].

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