National Dog Bite Prevention Week, May 18-24

Show Your Carrier Some Love

HAMPTON ROADS—Dog owners across America are being asked to show their letter carriers some love by making sure their pets are properly restrained before accepting mail from a carrier at their front doors.

Last year, more than 3,000 city and rural carriers were attacked by dogs across the United States —with 103 city and rural carriers from the Houston metro area suffering the most bites. Fortunately, this number is 63 fewer carriers victimized by dog attacks than the previous year, thanks to aggressive community outreach efforts with the American Veterinary Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, Prevent the Bite and other organizations nationwide, including the National Association of Letter Carriers. That’s still too many dog bites.

“Dogs are territorial and protective and might perceive letter carriers handing mail to their owners as a threat,” said postal Safety Specialist Lisa Osborne.  “For the same reasons, we also ask parents to make sure their children don’t collect mail from our carriers in the presence of their pets or allow their pets to roam free and unrestrained.  Employee safety is always our number-one concern.”

Twenty five of the 42 dog bites occurring in the Richmond District during fiscal year 2007were in Hampton Roads.  The Richmond District encompasses the entire state with the exception of northern and southwestern Virginia.  Norfolk post offices “led the pack” with a total of 9 dog bites, followed by Virginia Beach with 6; Hampton, 4; and Newport News, 3.  From October through mid-May of this fiscal year, ten of the Richmond District’s 32 dog bites have occurred in Hampton Roads, with six of those in Virginia Beach post offices.

Because safety comes first, the Postal Service may ask a customer to pick up his or her mail at the post office if a letter carrier believes an unrestrained pet to be a threat.  If a pet roams a wide area, this may also result in the neighbors’ mail being curtailed.  In these cases, delivery is not resumed until the situation is safe.  In some instances, Postal Service employees have sued and collected damages for dog bite injuries.  “The Postal Service is pro-pet responsibility, not anti-dog,” said Osborne, who emphasized proper training and socialization help reduce aggressive behavioral issues.

The USPS is offering these tips for avoiding dog bites.

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 prohibited 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 purse, a backpack or a bicycle.

How to Be a Responsible Dog Owner

• Obedience training can teach dogs proper behavior and help owners control their dogs.
• When a carrier comes to your home, keep your dog inside, away from the door in another room.
• Don't let your child take mail from the carrier in the presence of your dog. Your dog's instinct is to protect the family.
• Spay or neuter your dog. Neutered dogs are less likely to bite. Statistics from the Humane Society show that dogs that have not been spayed or neutered are up to three times more likely to bite.
• Dogs that receive little attention or handling, or are left tied up for long periods of time frequently turn into biters.

Additional information is available through the American Veterinary Medical Association at www.avma.org, the American Academy of Pediatrics at www.aap.org, the Humane Society of the United States at www.hsus.org, and the Prevent the Bite program at  www.preventthebite.org.