Top Cities for USPS Dog Bites: See Where Carriers Face Risk

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) released its latest national dog bite rankings as the number of incidents involving dog attacks on USPS employees jumped to more than 5,800 cases last year. As part of the USPS 2024 National Dog Bite Awareness Campaign, the organization provides information to help dog owners promote safe mail delivery and protect the safety of postal workers.

“Letter carriers are exposed to potential hazards every day, none more prevalent than a canine encounter. All it takes is one interaction for a letter carrier to possibly suffer an injury,” said Leeann Theriault, USPS Manager, Employee Safety and Health Awareness.

“The U.S. Postal Service consistently encourages responsible pet ownership. The national dog bite campaign is an effort to promote dog bite awareness to keep our customers, their dogs, and letter carriers safe while delivering the mail.”

The rankings include 30 cities, as some cities had the same amount of incidents. Los Angeles ranked at the top of the list with 65 attacks, while Houston (56) was second and Chicago (48) was third.

According to the most recent information available from the Insurance Information Institute, the average cost per insurance claim for a dog bite is $64,555. When a postal employee suffers an injury, the owner could be responsible for medical bills, lost wages, uniform replacement costs, and pain and suffering for the employee.

The USPS says dog owners can help protect mail carriers by keeping dogs inside the house or behind a fence, away from the door or in another room, or on a leash.

They also mentioned that letter carriers are trained to observe an area where they know dogs may be present. They are taught to be alert for potentially dangerous conditions and to respect a dog’s territory.

Letter carriers are trained to make a non-threatening noise or rattle a fence to alert a dog when entering a yard, avoid startling dogs, keep their eyes on any dog, never assume a dog will not bite, refrain from attempting to pet or feed a dog and place their foot against an outward swinging door to prevent a dog from escaping.

If a dog attacks, carriers are also trained to stand their ground and protect their body by placing something between them and the dog, such as a mail satchel, and to use dog repellent, if necessary.

For 2023 dog attack data in your specific city or town, USPA says to contact your local USPS public relations representative. Take a look at the complete ranking here.