Most people think children and dogs go together naturally, and they often do, but it may shock you to learn that children are the most common victims of dog bites. You can use the following talk and the enclosed handout to alert schoolchildren to two important points in preventing dog bites: Responsible pet ownership and safe behavior around dogs.
Sponsoring a poster contest gets children involved in spreading the word about preventing dog bites. Colorful posters that result from the contest are a great way to get the word out to the public.
A dog bite poster will be hung in the retail lobby of large offices from the end of April to May 31, 2008, to bring awareness of this serious issue to our customers.
Get postmasters and station managers to hang posters or to display them on bulletin boards or at local high-traffic grocery stores.
The postmaster is one of the key leaders in each community. Postmasters should use their influence to win support from other key leaders for our campaign to reduce dog attacks and dog bites. The suggestions in this section will get you started toward some cooperative campaigning for dog bite awareness.
Using the following sample postmaster columns will help you spread the word about the Postal Service’s efforts to protect letter carriers and children in the community. The message is that dog bites are a serious matter, and by helping protect letter carriers, the public is protecting everyone.
Place these columns on your letterhead and take or send them to your local newspapers. It’s a good idea to localize the articles with experiences from your own Post Office or community. Contact local newspaper editors to propose running the column weekly for 3 weeks. You should also post copies of these columns on your information boards.
Although the material is designed specifically for use during the spring, you also can use it to build community awareness throughout the summer months.
“Children Suffer Most Dog Bites,” By [Name], Postmaster [City]
For every letter carrier bitten, hundreds of children needlessly suffer the pain and trauma of dog bites. Whatever the reasons, dog bites are a serious problem for the entire community, and not just our letter carriers. Three thousand one hundred and forty-nine carriers suffered dog bites last year. That’s an average of 11 dog attacks every delivery day, and that figure does not include the number of threatening incidents that did not result in injury. These numbers pale in comparison with the more than 4.7 million people — mostly children and the elderly — who suffer injuries from dog attacks each year.
In [City] last year, dogs bit [number] letter carriers and interfered with a significant number of mail deliveries [or you can estimate a number if possible]. Fortunately, most dog bites can be prevented through responsible pet ownership.
[If you did have dog bites last year, use the previous paragraph and insert a paragraph or two here giving a few details, such as the seriousness of the incidents and the amount of lost time. If you had no dog bites or no cases of dogs interfering with mail delivery last year, omit the previous paragraph.]
If a letter carrier needs to deliver a certified letter or a package to you, put your dog into a separate room before opening your front door. Dogs have been known to burst through screen doors or plate-glass windows to get at strangers.
[Insert a letter carrier story here, if applicable.]
Nationally, the number of carriers bitten by dogs has declined over the years. This is because of greater cooperation from dog owners, stricter leash laws, and stepped-up efforts to educate letter carriers and the public about dealing with the problem.
Our letter carriers are vigilant and dedicated, but we may be forced to stop mail delivery at an address if a letter carrier is threatened by a vicious dog. In some instances, Postal Service employees have sued and collected damages for dog bite injuries. We can’t control people’s dogs; only dog owners can do that.
While some attribute attacks on letter carriers to dogs’ inbred aversion to uniforms, experts say the psychology actually runs much deeper. Every day that a letter carrier comes into a dog’s territory, the dog barks and the letter carrier leaves. Day after day the dog sees this action repeated. After a week or two, the dog appears to feel invincible against intruders. Once the dog gets loose, there’s a good chance it will attack.
Dog owners should remind their children about the need to keep the family dog secured. We also recommend parents ask their children not to take mail directly from letter carriers. A dog may see handing mail to a child as a threatening gesture.
These simple reminders and helpful tips can reduce the hazard of dog bite attacks. Help us to help you this spring and summer.
This is the first in a series of three columns by [City] Postmaster [Name] addressing the problem of dog attacks, both in the Postal Service and in the community. Next week: “Why Do Some Dogs Bite?
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“Why Do Some Dogs Bite?” By [Name], Postmaster [City]
Would your dog bite? The American Veterinary Medical Association estimates that more than 4.7 million dog bites are reported to local authorities each year. Countless more go unreported.
Dog bites can range from a relatively painless nip to a fatal mauling. Dog bite victims account for up to 5 percent of all hospital emergency room visits. Children are most often the victims. Dog attacks are the most commonly reported childhood public health problem in the United States.
You may feel confident that your dog won’t add to these statistics, and it is probably true that your trusty companion will never seriously harm anyone. However, if your dog does attack or bite someone, you could be liable for the victim’s pain, suffering, and medical expenses. Potential victims include your letter and rural carrier and neighborhood children. There are several ways you can avoid liability. Reducing the likelihood your dog will ever bite someone helps protect you, your canine companion, and everyone else in the community.
Lack of socialization, improper training, excitement, and fear can all contribute to a dog attack. Even a nip on the leg is unacceptable behavior for a family dog.
Although dogs may bite for a variety of reasons, spaying or neutering has been shown to reduce aggressiveness. Bite statistics show that dogs that have not been spayed or neutered are up to three times more likely to be involved in a biting incident.
Three Suggestions to Help Take the Bite Out of Your Dog:
- Teach your dog appropriate behavior. Don’t play aggressive games with your dog such as wrestling, tug of war, or siccing your dog on another person. It’s essential that your dog recognize members of your family as dominant figures not to be challenged.
- Be a responsible pet owner. For everyone’s safety, don’t allow your dog to roam. Make your pet a member of your family. Dogs that spend too much time tethered to a dog house or in the back yard have a much greater chance of developing aggressive behavioral problems.
- Stay on the safe side. Help your dog become accustomed to a variety of situations. If you don’t know how your dog will react to a new situation, be cautious. If you think your dog could panic in a crowd, leave him or her at home. If your dog may overreact to visitors or delivery people, keep him or her in another room.
This is the second in a series of three columns by [City] Postmaster [Name] addressing the problem of dog attacks, both in the Postal Service and in the community. Next week: “Protecting the Community.”
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“Protecting the Community,” By [Name], Postmaster [City]
Last year, dog bites resulted in 3,149 OSHA-recordable injuries to carriers nationwide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly 2 percent of the American population is bitten by a dog each year, and most of the victims are children.
The most recent statistics from the 2007 U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographic Sourcebook states that there are 72,114,000 dogs in the United States; 43,021,000 households own dogs in the U.S., and that equates to 37.2 percent of households.
Clearly, parents must never leave a defenseless infant with a dog and must make sure that older children know the potential danger of dog bites. It is also important to know that studies have shown that dogs are three times more likely to be involved in a biting incident if they have not been spayed or neutered.
To learn more about the importance of neutering or spaying your pets, visit the American Partnership for Pets (APP), an unprecedented coalition of more than 25 leading and influential animal health and welfare organizations, community animal care and control services, and veterinarians at www.americanpartnershipforpets.org.
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has found that the breed of animal most commonly involved in dog attacks can change from year to year and from one part of the country to another, depending on the popularity of the breed. According to the HSUS, while some breeds are more likely to bite, other factors like whether the animal has been spayed or neutered, and whether the animal has been properly socialized, safely confined, properly supervised, and humanely trained play great roles in a dog’s tendency to bite. Dog owners can prevent serious injuries to others by realizing their important role in dog bite prevention.
This concludes a series of three columns by [City] Postmaster [Name] addressing the problem of dog attacks, both in the Postal Service and in the community.
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Dog Bite Prevention Speech for School Children
[Make the presentation light and fun. Even though this is a serious subject, children will respond to your being friendly and approachable. Be sure to tell the children what a postmaster is/does.]
Good morning boys and girls.
My name is [Name] and I’m your postmaster.
[Tell the children what a postmaster is/does.]
How many of you have dogs at home or have friends who own a dog? [Listen to responses.] Have you or any of your friends ever been bitten by a dog? [Listen to responses, and if so, add comment: Well, I’ll bet you didn’t like it, did you?]
At the Post Office where I work, the people who deliver your mail get bitten, too. Sometimes they have to go to the hospital and can’t do their job for a long time. The dog’s owner may have to pay a big hospital bill, and the mail may not be delivered to that house until the owners promise to keep the dog fenced in.
I don’t want anybody at work to be bitten, and I don’t want any of you to get bitten, either. That’s why I’m here today, because I need your help.
First, I want all of you to be safe. Do you know how many people get bitten by dogs every year? [Children guess.] I heard some good guesses. The correct answer is 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs each year and guess what? The number one victim is children. That means you! More than 2 million children were bitten — and that’s not good.
Who did the biting? In fact, the bites usually come from the family pet or from a dog owned by a nearby neighbor. Can you believe it?
There are several things you can do to help out. Be nice to your dog and to all dogs. Don’t tease them. Don’t play too rough with them. Instead, teach your dog good manners. A trained dog is a happy dog. Remember to give dogs space when they are eating, sleeping, tired, sick or caring for puppies. Remember: Dogs get cranky just like people, and they may bite if they are suddenly surprised or hurt. If you see a dog running loose in your neighborhood, tell your parents. Never, ever approach a strange dog.
You can also help your letter carrier, because thousands of letter carriers get bitten every year, too. The most important thing is to stop your dog from getting outside and running loose. When you go outside, make sure to close the door tight, and when you are playing with your dog in the yard, make sure you close the gate so he does not get out.
When you see the letter carrier coming down your street, look around and make sure your dog is either inside or securely fenced away from the mailbox.
When the letter carrier gets to your house, let him or her put the mail in your mailbox. Never reach out to take the mail yourself, because your dog might think the letter carrier is a threat to you even though we know that isn’t true.
After the letter carrier has delivered the mail and gone, you still need to watch out for loose dogs. Never step too close to a strange dog. Even if he looks friendly, he might still bite.
I am going to give each of you a list of things you can do to help keep dogs from biting your letter carrier, your friends, and yourself. I want you to take this list home and talk to your parents about it. See if they will help you keep your dog from getting outside.
If you do that, your letter carrier won’t have to worry about going to the hospital for a dog bite, and we can ensure that everyone’s mail is safely and quickly delivered.
Most importantly, we want you to be safe. So please remember to take care of your dog and use good safety habits even around dogs you know. Don’t be one of those 2 million children who experience the pain of a dog bite.
Thank you.
