#Over 5,800 USPS workers attacked by dogs last year

Over 5,800 USPS workers were attacked by dogs last year, the agency recently announced ahead of a campaign to highlight the issue.

“From nips and bites to vicious attacks, aggressive dog behavior poses a serious threat to postal employees and the general public,” the USPS said in a Thursday press release.

Of all major US cities, Houston last year experienced the most dog attacks on letter carriers — with 73 of them, the service said in its release. Chicago and Los Angeles were second and third on the list, with 59 and 54, respectively.

California, meanwhile, was home to the most dog attacks by state in 2020 with 782.
New York had 295 attacks, which was the fourth most of any state.

As part of the weeklong awareness campaign, which began Saturday, the service is providing guidance to dog owners to help mitigate the problem.

Among the pointers is not letting children in homes with dogs to take mail from the letter carriers, as the animals may view the worker as a threat.

Kansas City letter carrier James Michael Benson was recently attacked after a child answered the door.

“I knocked on a customer’s door to pick up a package and as a young child answered, a dog came bursting out of the door and bit my forearm, knocking me to the ground “ said Benson.

“I was in shock and struggling with the dog, when he lunged and bit me again on my face, under my ear.”

The dog was then restrained by its owner.

“Dogs are instinctive animals that may act to protect their turf and that why it’s important to inform the public about this campaign,” USPS Acting Employee Safety and Health Awareness Manager Jamie Seavello said in a statement.