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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 19, 2009
Media Contact:
Marcela Rivera, cell 303-731-7534, Denver Post Office
Steve Turner, 720-841-6662, Littleton/Highlands Ranch, CO
Ron Perry, cell 719-360-9667, Colorado Springs PO
Daniel Reyes, 970-244-3411, Grand Junction PO
Mark Lambert, 307-266-4034, Casper Post Office
Dave Spurgas, 307-772-6540, Cheyenne Post Office
Al DeSarro, 303-313-5182/cell 303-324-5517, CO/WY USPS al.j.desarro@usps.gov

usps.com/news

Colorado/Wyoming Post Offices ask customers to help stamp out dog bites;
3,100 letter carrier dog bite injuries nationwide last year

DENVER, CO — It’s getting warmer. Summer is approaching. People and their pets are outside more. And it’s the busiest time of the year for dog bite attacks to letter carriers and others.

A total of 3,100 postal carriers nationwide were bitten or received OSHA-recordable dog bite injuries in 2008 — an avg. of 10 dog bites per day. Colorado and Wyoming letter carriers had 114 overall dog bite-related injuries in 2008.

These figures do not take into account the many times and situations where letter carriers encounter loose dogs and threatening dog attack situations but fortunately escape injury.

With the busiest time of the year for dog bites now here — the warmer weather months - there have already been 59 overall dog bite injuries to Colorado and Wyoming carriers so far this year. Most dog bites and dog bite related injuries to letter carriers are caused by loose or unrestrained dogs.

The Postal Service treats loose dog situations very seriously. Because of the safety danger to your letter carrier, failure to restrain your dog on a regular basis can result in a temporary stoppage of mail delivery to your home and mailbox, or worse yet, to your whole neighborhood, block or street, depending on how serious the problem is.

“The average injury to a Colorado/Wyoming letter carrier last year cost the Postal Service thousands of dollars in medical care and follow-up treatment, lost work time, operational and other expenses,” says USPS CO/WY Manager of Safety Andre Meredith. “We want to prevent all dog bites. Our belief is one dog bite is one dog bite too many.”

This reminder comes as the Postal Service and other organizations promote “National Dog Bite Prevention Awareness Week” May 17-23, 2009.

More than 4.5 million people in the United States are bitten by dogs each year. Children at 2 million injuries rank first for dog bite injuries, followed by the elderly and then letter carriers. Newspaper carriers, meter readers, delivery workers, utility and construction workers are other frequent victims. Typical examples of dog bite injuries — lacerations, fractures, sprains, strains, pulled muscles

So be a responsible dog and pet owner, and restrain your dog, particularly around mail delivery. The Post Office and your letter carrier greatly appreciate your support.

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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 149 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes, six days a week. It has 34,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services, not tax dollars, to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.