National Dog Bite Prevention Awareness Week

Area Post Offices ask public to restrain their dogs to help prevent dog bites to letter carriers, children & the community

The United States Postal Service is asking for the public’s support in keeping your dogs restrained year-round; for the safety of your letter carriers and community, and to help prevent dog bites.

This reminder comes as the Postal Service and other organizations promote "National Dog Bite Prevention Awareness Week" May 17-23, 2009. With the warmer spring and summer months and early fall, this time of the year is always the busiest time of the year for dog attacks and dog bite injuries to letter carriers and others.

A total of 3,100 letter carriers nationwide were bitten or received OSHA recordable dog bite attack-related injuries in 2008. That’s an average of 10 per day.

Carriers in Nevada have already been bitten 23 times this year – that exceeds the total for all of last year.

The total doesn’t include threatening encounters or loose dog situations where the carrier escaped injury.

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.

Preventing dog bites is a major public safety and health issue for everyone, not just for the Postal Service. More than 4.5 million people in the United States are bitten by dogs each year. Children rank first for dog bite injuries, followed by the elderly and letter carriers. More than two million children are bitten by dogs each year. Other victims include newspaper carriers, meter readers, delivery, construction and utility workers.

Many letter carriers attacked by dogs were victimized by pets that broke loose of their owners hold to jump through screen or glass doors. Other letter carriers were bitten after being surprised when dogs were not secure or restrained in their backyard or in a confined area when the carrier attempted delivery.

"Dogs are protective in nature and may perceive a letter carrier handling mail to its owner as a threat," said Reno Postmaster Renee Brown "We ask our customers, and especially parents, to instruct their children to refrain from collecting the mail from their letter carrier in the presence of their pet."

Dog Bite Prevention Facts & Information

* provided by the Humane Society of U.S. (HSUS) and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)

The Victims

More than 4.5 million people are bitten each year. Small children, the elderly, and letter carriers, in that order, are the most frequent victims of dog bites. Two million children are bitten each year.
AVMA reports the number of dog attacks exceeds the reported instances of measles, whooping cough, and mumps, combined. Dog bite victims account for up to 5% of emergency room visits.
According to the AVMA, more than 800,000 people are admitted to emergency rooms for dog bite related injuries each year. Countless more bites go unreported and untreated.
A total of 3,100 letter carriers nationwide received dog bite attack related injuries in 2008. Many letter carrier dog bites nationwide came from dogs whose owners said "would not bite."
Besides letter carriers, newspaper carriers, meter readers, utility workers and delivery workers are some of the most frequent job occupations that receive dog bite injuries.

How to Avoid Being Bitten

Don’t run past a dog. The dog’s natural instinct is to chase and catch prey.
If a dog threatens you, don’t scream. Avoid eye contact. Try to remain motionless until the dog leaves, then back away slowly until the dog is out of sight.
Don’t approach a strange dog, especially one that’s tethered or confined.
While letter carriers are discouraged from petting animals, people who choose to pet dogs should always let a dog see and sniff them before petting the animal.
If you believe a dog is about to attack you, try to place something between you and the dog, such as a backpack or bicycle.

How to Be a Responsible Dog Owner

Obedience training can teach dogs proper behavior & help owners control their dog in any situation.
When the letter carrier arrives, keep your dog inside, away from the door, secure in another room, restrained or leashed.
Don’t let your child take mail from the letter carrier in the presence of your dog. Your dog’s instinct is to protect the family.
Spay/neuter your dog. Neutered dogs are less likely to bite. HSUS statistics note that dogs NOT spayed or neutered are up 3 times more likely to be involved in a dog bite incident or attack.
Dogs that haven’t been properly socialized, receive little attention or handling, or are left tied up for long periods of time, frequently turn into biters.

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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.