LA leads nation in dog attacks on mail carriers with 65 in 2023 – Daily News

James Daniels has been attacked by dogs during his career as a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service. In a 2020 photo, Australian Shepherd Lucy is seen as a friendly pup on his route to San Clemente. (CINDY YAMANAKA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER)

Los Angeles led the nation in the number of reported dog attacks on postal workers in 2023, according to U.S. Postal Service figures released Thursday, May 30. The service also announced the launch of its national campaign to raise awareness among citizens about the need to keep their dogs on a leash.

According to the USPS, there were 65 reported dog attacks on mail carriers in LA last year, putting the city well above second-place Houston with 56 reported attacks. San Diego ranks sixth on the list with 41 reported attacks.

Sacramento ranked 16th with 26 reported attacks, while Long Beach ranked 20th with 19 attacks.

California far surpassed all other states, with 727 reported attacks last year, compared to 675 in 2022.

Texas came in a distant second with 411 reported attacks, compared to 404 the year before.

“Mail carriers face potential dangers every day, and none are as dangerous as an encounter with dogs,” Leeann Theriault, director of employee safety and health awareness at the USPS, said in a statement. “All it takes is one contact and a mail carrier can potentially be injured. The U.S. Postal Service consistently encourages responsible pet ownership.”

The USPS’s national dog bite awareness campaign officially kicks off Sunday and will run for a week, promoting how dog owners can help keep mail carriers safe. The campaign’s motto is “Don’t let your dog bite the hand that serves you.”

USPS officials urged dog owners to keep their animals inside or behind a fence when a mail carrier approaches. The animals should also be kept away from the door or in another room or kept on a leash.

Pet owners have also been asked not to let their children accept mail directly from the postman when a dog is nearby, as the dog may view the carrier as a threat to the boy or girl.

The USPS noted that mail carriers are trained on how to respond to potentially threatening situations. They are careful not to frighten dogs, never try to pet or feed them, and never assume that dogs don’t bite.

“Even if a customer’s dog is friendly to most people, he can always have a bad day,” letter carrier Tara Snyder said in a statement. “I know from experience that even if there is a dog in the house, customers need to make sure their door is secure so their dog can’t force it open and bite the letter carrier.”