DeCarlo was in Los Angeles to kick off National Dog Bite Prevention Week, which runs Sunday, April 9 through Saturday, April 15. The Postal Service, joined by the American Humane, American Veterinary Medical Association, Insurance Information Institute and State Farm Insurance, is driving home the message that dog bites are a national issue and education can help prevent dog attacks.
The USPS places the safety of its employees as a top priority. If a letter carrier feels threatened by a dog, or if a dog is loose or unleashed, the owner may be asked to pick up mail at a post office until the letter carrier is assured the pet has been restrained. If the dog is roaming the neighborhood, the pet owner’s neighbors also may be asked to pick up their mail at the area’s post office.
DeCarlo highlighted USPS safety measures that alert letter carriers to dogs on their delivery routes. The Package Pickup application on usps.com asks customers to indicate if there are dogs at their addresses when they schedule package pickups. This information is provided to letter carriers on their delivery scanners, which also can send real-time updates if an unleashed dog is reported in a delivery area. “The scanners that Postal Service letter carriers use to confirm a customer’s delivery include a feature for carriers to indicate the presence of a dog at an individual address,” said DeCarlo. “This information is particularly helpful for substitute carriers who fill in for regular carriers on their days off.”
“Even good dogs have bad days,” said U.S. Postal Service Safety Director Linda DeCarlo in Los Angeles, where postal employees suffered 80 attacks – more than any other city in 2016. “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.”
A total of 6,755 postal employees were attacked by dogs in calendar year 2016. The top 30 city rankings are comprised of 41 cities as more than one city experienced the same number of attacks.
The Postal Service continues to fulfill its mission to provide essential services that process and deliver information, communications, and goods vital to residents. To ensure the safety of our delivery personnel, the Postal Service is asking dog owners to keep their animals secured when deliveries are being made.
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (ABC4 News) – The postal service is asking dog owners to watch their animals when deliveries are being made to ensure the safety of delivery personnel.
The Postal Service has a short video on dog bite prevention available on its YouTube site, USPS TV:
If a carrier is delivering directly to your door, the USPS asks that you place your dog in a separate room and close the door before opening the outside door. There are instances where dogs push through screen doors to attack visitors, the USPS says.
They also ask you to never take mail directly from a carrier in the presence of your pet, as some dogs see this as a threatening gesture.
If dogs are outside, make sure they are properly restrained and out of reach of a mail carrier. If the carrier deems the residence unsafe due to an unrestrained dog, delivery will be interrupted and will not resume until carriers have assurance the dog will be restrained. During that time, individuals will have to pick up their mail at a post office.
The U.S. Postal Service is asking people for help in preventing dog attacks on mail carriers.
The USPS says customers who have notification features, such as Informed Delivery, will be able to see when the carrier is on their way, and can therefore restrain their dog accordingly.
USPS asks dog owners to be aware of attacks
RICHFIELD, Minn — If you own a dog, you might notice a new sticker on your mailbox.
Its from the United States Postal Service to try and cut down on the rising number of mail carriers being bitten by dogs, which an issue the USPS says is the biggest safety threat on the job.
Kiley rescued the 4-year-old after fostering another dog last year, who she says spooked their mail carrier.
“She did bark and run up to the mailman a little bit,” said Kiley. “She wasnt going to do anything, I knew that, he maybe didnt know that.”
To make sure that didnt happen again, Kiley moved her mailbox from the front of the house to the street. And now that new mailbox is adorned with a new orange sticker from the USPS that alerts mail carriers she has a dog.
“I will say if you dont know a dog, you dont know what its capable of, I can imagine it can be a little nerve-wracking for some people,” said Kiley.
The USPS launched the new Dog Paw Program in the Twin Cities metro across ZIP codes in the 551 and 554 area.
It says 32 mail carriers have been bitten in the Twin Cities so far this year, which is up from 19 all of last year.
“I know a lot of people got dogs last year and they may have not been well socialized because we couldnt socialize them,” said Kiley. “I can imagine that has affected the dog bites.”
Besides orange, theres also a yellow one that cautions carriers theres a dog at the next house. Customers are supposed to be notified with postcards. Kiley and several of her neighbors say they never got one.
“At the end of the day, I just kind of wanted to make it a smoother process so I didnt have any issues and the mailman didnt have any issues,” said Kiley.
To avoid future clashes, some of Kileys neighbors have opted out of the sticker and delivery all together and instead are paying a fee to pick up their mail at a PO Box.
In a news release, the USPS writes, “When used in conjunction with other methods, such as local alerts as postal employees approach the house and written notification cards within the mail, this program has been successful in other locations that have seen high dog bite rates.”