DETROIT (WWJ) — The city of Detroit ranked among the cities with the most mail carriers bitten by dogs in 2023.
The U.S. Postal Service recently 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.
Detroit saw 19 such incidents in 2023, ranking tied for 20th on the USPS’s list. The rankings include 30 cities, as some cities had the same amount of incidents.
Michigan had the ninth-most dog attacks in 2023 with 183. That number decreased from 206 the year before.
Los Angeles ranked at the top of the list with 65 attacks, while Houston (56) was second and Chicago (48) was third.
The release of the rankings comes as the USPS launches a national dog bite awareness campaign with a theme of “Don’t let your dog bite the hand that serves you.”
“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, per a press release. “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 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.
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 if entering a yard
• Never startle a dog
• Keep their eyes on any dog
• Never assume a dog will not bite
• Never attempt to pet or feed a dog
• 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.
“Even though a customer’s dog is friendly to most people, it can always have a bad day,” said letter carrier Tara Snyder. “I know, from experience, even when a dog is in the house, customers need to make sure their door is secure so their dog can’t push it open and bite the letter carrier.”
More information on mail carrier safety with dogs can be found on the USPS website.
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