Hawaiian postman recalls horrific dog bite incident

SALT LAKE, Hawaii (KHON2) — There were 17 dog attacks on mail carriers in Hawaii in 2023, and the United States Postal Service hopes to prevent similar incidents in 2024.

Officials stressed that customers would not receive their mail if they did not feel safe with the delivery workers.

The USPS’s Dog Bite Awareness Week begins Sunday, June 2, and officials stressed that people should protect their dogs when delivery workers are out delivering mail. KHON2 spoke with a delivery worker who was bitten by a 90-pound dog in Foster Village.

“In the incident about 11 years ago when I was bitten, I was approaching someone’s home to deliver mail and I needed a signature,” said Sherry Mizuuchi, the USPS mail carrier in Honolulu. “And that’s when the dog came up from behind me and latched onto my arm.”

Mizuuchi was out of action for a few months before resuming her delivery service. Officials told KHON2 that deliveries in these cases will not resume until the dog is properly secured. Delivery people are also trained to use their bag as a physical barrier when delivering to doorsteps and to carry dog ​​spray in case things get serious.

“The active ingredient is essentially cayenne pepper and it’s very low, about 2% or less,” said Chris Hirata, security specialist for USPS Hawaii. “There has to be a situation where they feel threatened and the dog is actually actively pursuing the wearer, it’s not just about them barking.”

Dog attacks on postal workers have fallen locally – there were 22 in 2022, down from 17 in 2023 – and officials said there was a greater emphasis on drivers honking when they arrive to alert the dog to their presence. Dog attacks on postal workers rose 10% nationwide. Click here for more informations.

“And that customers may have time to prepare and place the dog in another room when a package is delivered to the door,” Hirata said.

“You have to take your dog away, right? Because all it takes is a little rush,” said Mizuuchi.

Officials said securing dogs during deliveries was primarily for the safety of drivers, but that customer convenience was also at risk because mail would not be delivered if delivery workers felt threatened.

“I think we all want the same end goal: to have our mail delivered, and the best way to do that is to have it be a secure process,” Hirata said.

Some good rules of thumb are to leave your dog in another room during a doorstep delivery or to make sure the animal is on a leash when in your yard.

Click here for more information about USPS Dog Bite Awareness Week.