As more people are buying online and demanding deliveries all days of the week, the chance of a postal worker getting bitten by a dog has increased.
This past year, 6,755 postal employees were attacked by dogs, more than 200 higher than the previous year, according to a report released by the United States Postal Service. It is also the highest number is about three decades.
Los Angeles topped this with a reported 80 bites, followed by Houston (62) and Cleveland (60).
Often, postal workers are vulnerable to attacks as dogs may view them as a threat to their family and stand guard against them.
The release of the report is ahead of National Dog Bite Prevention Week, a weeklong event from Sunday, April 9 through Saturday, April 15.
Related: Mailman Builds Ramp for Senior Dog on His Route
USPS, along with the American Humane and American Veterinary Medical Association, are looking to educate dog owners in order to decrease the 4.5 million people bitten by dogs each year, with half being children.
For those worries if their dogs may snap at a carrier, the USPS did offer some tips:
Let Postal Workers Know You Have a Dog: When creating a package pickup request on the USPS website, indicate you have a dog (option to check) in the “Trip Hazards” section.
Keep Your Dog Away From Postal Workers: If you are accepting a package from a postal employee, put your dog in a separate room.
Talk to Family Members About a Dog Plan: Make sure other family members and children are also on board with not having your dog present when accepting packages.
If a USPS worker feels threatened or sees a dog on the loose in a neighborhood, they could ask a household to pick up their package at a local post office.
“Even good dogs have bad days,” said U.S. Postal Service Safety Director Linda DeCarlo in a statement. “Dog bite prevention training and continuing education are important to keep pet owners, pets and those who visit homes — like letter carriers — happy and healthy.”
Related: A Dog Bite Could Cost Upwards of $56,000. Here Is How to Prevent Them From Occurring.
Check out the list of the top 30 spots:
Rank |
City |
2016 |
|
1 |
LOS ANGELES |
CA |
80 |
2 |
HOUSTON |
TX |
62 |
3 |
CLEVELAND |
OH |
60 |
4 |
SAN DIEGO |
CA |
57 |
5 |
LOUISVILLE |
KY |
51 |
6 |
DETROIT |
MI |
48 |
7 |
DENVER |
CO |
47 |
8 |
CHICAGO |
IL |
46 |
9 |
INDIANAPOLIS |
IN |
44 |
10 |
MINNEAPOLIS |
MN |
43 |
11 |
SAN ANTONIO |
TX |
42 |
12 |
PORTLAND |
OR |
41 |
13 |
DALLAS |
TX |
41 |
14 |
PHILADELPHIA |
PA |
40 |
15 |
COLUMBUS |
OH |
39 |
16 |
BALTIMORE |
MD |
36 |
17 |
PHOENIX |
AZ |
35 |
18 |
CHARLOTTE |
NC |
33 |
18 |
MEMPHIS |
TN |
33 |
18 |
FORT WORTH |
TX |
33 |
19 |
ST LOUIS |
MO |
31 |
19 |
SEATTLE |
WA |
31 |
20 |
SACRAMENTO |
CA |
30 |
20 |
KANSAS CITY |
MO |
30 |
21 |
BUFFALO |
NY |
28 |
22 |
BROOKLYN |
NY |
27 |
23 |
ST PAUL |
MN |
26 |
24 |
NEW ORLEANS |
LA |
25 |
25 |
CINCINNATI |
OH |
24 |
26 |
WICHITA |
KS |
23 |
26 |
OAKLAND |
CA |
23 |
27 |
LONG BEACH |
CA |
22 |
27 |
FLUSHING |
NY |
22 |
28 |
SAN JOSE |
CA |
21 |
28 |
LAS VEGAS |
NV |
21 |
28 |
AKRON |
OH |
21 |
29 |
OKLAHOMA CITY |
OK |
20 |
29 |
RICHMOND |
VA |
20 |
30 |
FRESNO |
CA |
19 |
30 |
WASHINGTON |
DC |
19 |