Houston Leads Nation in Letter Carrier Dog Bites

National Kickoff Press Conference Friday, May 16 at 10 a.m.

What:
Houston will host a National Kickoff press conference for Dog Bite Prevention Week.

Who:
Delores J. Killette, Vice President and Consumer Advocate, U.S. Postal Service
Bobby Collins, Postmaster, City of Houston
Dr. Bonnie Beaver, Behavioralist, American Veterinary Medical Association
Sean Hawkins, President, Saving Animals Across Borders
Kent Robertson, Director, Houston Bureau of Animal Regulation and Control (BARC)
Lt. Mark Timmers, Harris County Investigative Division, Harris County Precinct 6
Willie Ferguson, President, Branch 283, National Association of Letter Carriers
Houston Letter Carriers Charlette Smith, Greenbriar Station; David Gotch, Long Point Station; Anthony Johnson, T.W. House Station, and Lisa Iseah, Ashford West Station.
Lester Stubblefield, Master of Ceremonies, Manager, Customer Service Operations

When:
10 a.m.
Friday, May 16

Where:
Courtyard
Houston Main Post Office
401 Franklin Street, Houston, TX 77011

Background:
Dog Bite Prevention Week (DBPW) officially runs May 18-24. Houston postal employees suffered the most dog bites last year, followed by Santa Ana, CA, with 86; Sacramento, CA, 82; Los Angeles, CA, 71; and the Big Valley District with 69 bites. Last year, more than 3,000 city and rural carriers were attacked by dogs across the U.S. — including 103 city and rural carriers from the Houston metro area alone.

Fortunately, this total of over 3,000 is 63 fewer carriers victimized by dog attacks than the previous year, thanks to community outreach efforts with the American Veterinary Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, and other organizations nationwide, including the National Association of Letter Carriers.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates nearly 2 percent of the American population is bitten by a dog each year. Children and the elderly rank as the first and second most likely victims of dog bites, followed by Letter Carriers.

Postal speakers will discuss the issue of injuries resulting from dog bite incidents. Co-sponsors for DBPW will discuss tips on how to avoid being bitten, reducing related injuries, protecting the public, and promoting pet owner responsibility.

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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits every address in the nation — 146 million homes and businesses. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses, not tax dollars. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.