L.A. sees 4th most dog attacks on USPS postal workers; CA ranked 1st among states

Los Angeles and California each ranked excessive within the U.S. Postal Service’s record of canine assaults on mail carriers final yr.

The service on Thursday launched rankings of 2021 canine assaults by metropolis as a part of Nationwide Canine Chunk Prevention Week. Los Angeles is fourth on the record of 32 cities, with 44 USPS workers being attacked by canine in 2021, whereas California is first amongst states with 656 assaults.

Each are down from 2020, when L.A. had 59 assaults and California had 782.

Greater than 5,400 postal workers had been attacked by canine in america in 2021, in response to the U.S. Postal Service.

“From nips and bites to vicious assaults, aggressive canine habits poses a critical menace to postal workers and the general public,” the company stated in a information launch Thursday.

To emphasise the seriousness of the difficulty, the Postal Service is highlighting the do’s and don’ts of accountable canine possession as a part of its annual Nationwide Canine Chunk Consciousness Week public service marketing campaign.

The theme of this yr’s marketing campaign, which runs from June 5 to June 11, is “The USPS Delivers for America — Ship for Us by Restraining Your Canine.”

“Yearly, hundreds of postal workers are attacked by canine as they ship America’s mail. And whereas it’s a canine’s pure intuition to guard their household and residential, we ask all clients to behave responsibly by taking security precautions with their canine whereas the mail is being delivered,” USPS Worker Security and Well being Consciousness Supervisor Leeann Theriault stated. “When a provider involves the residence, preserve the canine inside the home and away from the door — or behind a fence on a leash — to keep away from an assault.” 

Canine are primarily territorial in nature and protecting of their house owners and their house owners’ property, the USPS stated, including that defending its territory typically means attacking — and probably biting — the letter provider. Canine house owners are accountable for controlling their canine, the company emphasised.

For the reason that provider often arrives on the identical time every day, the company suggests securing your canine inside the home or behind a fence beforehand.

Pet house owners ought to remind their kids to not take mail straight from a letter provider because the canine could view the provider as a menace, USPS suggested.

Final yr, many assaults reported by letter carriers got here from canine whose house owners repeatedly acknowledged, “My canine received’t chew,” in response to USPS. 

Letter carriers are skilled to watch an space the place they know canine could also be current, and are taught to be alert for doubtlessly harmful situations and to respect a canine’s territory.

If a canine assaults, carriers are skilled to face their floor and defend their physique by putting one thing between them and the canine — reminiscent of their mail satchel — and use canine repellent, if vital, USPS stated.

“I used to be bit by a canine on my leg just lately and my mail satchel helped defend me,” Francisco Juarez, a letter provider who delivers in Houston, stated. “The sound of a canine barking whereas on my route places me on excessive alert and I attempt to be prepared to guard myself.”

Canine bites could lead to accidents to the carriers and dear medical bills for canine house owners, the Postal Service stated.

Carriers have a canine alert function instrument on their handheld scanners to remind them of a doable canine hazard on their routes.

When a provider feels unsafe, mail service could possibly be halted — not just for the canine proprietor, however for your complete neighborhood, in response to USPS. When the service is stopped, mail have to be picked up on the publish workplace and repair is not going to be restored till the canine is correctly restrained, the company stated.

2022 canine assault rankings by metropolis:

High 10 ‘Canine Chunk States’: