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

BILLINGS, MT — 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 &mndash; an avg. of 10 dog bites per day. Montana carriers had 14 various dog bite injuries last year.

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 8 overall dog bite injuries to Montana letter carriers so far this year. Most dog bites and dog-bite related injuries to letter carriers are caused by loose or unrestrained dogs.

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) 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.

“Loose or unrestrained dogs present a dangerous safety threat to everyone in your neighborhood,” says Montana Postal Service District Safety Manager Cathy Caulfield. “The average injury to a Montana letter carrier last year cost the Postal Service thousands of dollars in medical care and in follow-up treatment, lost work time, operational and other expenses. We want to prevent and stamp out all dog bites. Our belief is one dog bite is one dog bite too many.”

The U.S. Postal Service and Post Offices are again asking for the public’s support in keeping your dogs restrained; for the safety of letter carriers and your community. This reminder comes as the Postal Service and other organizations again promote “National Dog Bite Prevention Awareness Week” May 17 – 23, 2009.

Preventing dog bites is a major public safety and health issue for everyone, not just the Postal Service. More than 4.5 million people in the United States are bitten by dogs each year. Children, the elderly and letter carriers are the most frequent victims.

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