The United States Postal Service is calling on Americans to keep their dogs under control while mail carriers make their deliveries.
June 2-9 is the postal service’s Dog Bite Awareness Week, and this year’s theme is “Don’t let your dog bite the hand that serves you.”
According to USPS, more than 5,800 postal employees were attacked by dogs in 2023, which is an increase from 2022. In the Los Angeles neighborhood of Encino alone, a total of 34 dog attacks were recorded in the last five years.
At a press conference on Wednesday morning, USPS officials emphasized that it only takes one attack to change a person’s life.
“I tell carriers whenever I visit different offices that all it takes is one time,” said Esi Efseaff, a USPS clerk. “One time and your life is changed forever.”
In addition to tips for those expecting deliveries, mail carriers themselves have tips for each other too.
“I tell them to shake the gate and make sure you’re aware that nothing is coming out,” letter carrier Sebastian Torres Jr. said. “Wait momentarily, and if nothing comes out, then you approach the front door…sometimes, when we do have to knock on a door for a signature or package delivery, [I recommend] holding on to the handle after you knock if you hear dogs barking inside.”
As for dog owners, the USPS released helpful tips to keep postal workers and dogs safe:
- Keep the family pet secure: Placing dogs in a separate room from the front door and closing the door to the separate room before opening the front door
- Don’t accept package if pet is present: Anyone accepting a package – parents, children or others – are advised not to take a package directly from a USPS worker in the presence of the family pet, as some dogs may view the person handing mail to the family member as a threat
- Pick up at a USPS branch: If a carrier feels threatened by a dog, or if a dog is loose, off-leash or roaming around a neighborhood, the owner may be asked to pick up their mail at a Post Office until they confirm their pet has been restrained
- Sign up for Informed Delivery: Knowing when a delivery is scheduled to arrive in advance gives owners time to secure their pets and keep themselves and letter carriers safe
According to USPS’ Dog Bite National Rankings, Los Angeles had 65 reported dog attacks on postal workers in 2023, the highest in the nation.
While mail carrier deaths due to dog attacks are rare, they have happened in the past; one such incident occurred in rural Florida in 2022 when a 61-year-old USPS worker was mauled to death by five dogs who had escaped a fenced in yard.