Reports of dogs biting postal workers increased slightly to 6,088 incidents in 2024, the U.S. Postal Service reported ahead of an annual awareness week starting Sunday.
According to USPS, canine attacks were up about 4.6% from 5,822 in 2023. Most targeted mail carriers on their daily rounds, as only service dogs are allowed inside U.S. post offices.
“The best way to keep safe from dog attacks is to recognize and promote the responsibility of pet ownership, such as teaching your dog appropriate behavior and commands and not allowing your dog to roam freely,” said Leeann Theriault, USPS employee safety and health awareness manager.
“Dog bite attacks on postal employees are preventable,” she said.
She noted that the postal service reminds customers during the annual awareness week to “keep your dog secured and away from the carrier as the mail is being delivered.”
The federal agency said Los Angeles had the most incidents last year, at 77, up from 65 in 2023. Houston increased from 56 to 65, Chicago from 48 to 57, St. Louis from 46 to 47 and Cincinnati from 38 to 44 to round out the top five.
Among states, California had the most dog bites at 701. The second-most was Texas at 438, followed by Ohio at 350.
The numbers generally tracked with the largest states and cities, but not entirely.
The District of Columbia reported only nine dog bites last year – far fewer per person than the much smaller cities of St. Louis and Cincinnati.
According to USPS, an insurance claim by the victim of a dog bite can cost dog owners over $64,000. Owners of attacking dogs can also be sued to cover medical bills, lost wages during hospitalization, uniform replacement, and damages for pain and suffering.
USPS asks that dog owners keep their pooches leashed, inside the house, behind a fence or in a room. The agency does not consider doors to be a sufficient barrier.
“Customers may not consider their dog a danger to others, however, to a letter carrier like me, all dogs can be considered a threat when delivering the mail,” Jonah Helfrich, a Pennsylvania letter carrier, said in a statement.
“I was recently delivering mail and a dog barged through a door and bit me on the wrist, which required me to seek medical treatment. I strongly encourage all dog owners to take precautions to make sure their dog is secure when mail is being delivered,” he said.
The postal service noted that mail carriers have a right to withhold service from homes that seem unsafe due to violent dogs, requiring the residents to pick up their mail at the post office. The agency could charge them for renting or owning that post office box.
While dog attacks on mail carriers rarely end in death, fatal incidents do occur.
According to USPS, the last such incident happened in August 2022 when a pack of five dogs mauled a 61-year-old Florida mailman to death.
Authorities found the homeowner not liable for that death due to his efforts to block the dogs from getting out with a fence reinforced partly by logs and cinder blocks.
