The national dog bite awareness campaign begins June 1st
WASHINGTON,, June 14, 2025 / Prnewswire / – Incidents involving dog attacks against postal service employees reached more than 6,000 cases last year. As part of the national awareness -raising awareness campaign for USPS 2025 dogs, the organization offers crucial information on how dog owners can be good goalkeepers for delivery of mail safely and ensure the safety of its employees.

The one -month campaign begins on Saturday June 1. This year’s theme is “secure your dog, keep deliveries on the right track”. Divide the campaign with the hashtag #dogbiseneness.
“The best way to protect yourself from dog attacks is to recognize and promote the responsibility for pet property, such as teaching your dog’s behavior and appropriate commands and not allow your dog to walk freely. All dogs – regardless of breed, size or age – have the potential to bite” Leeann TheriaultEmployee safety awareness manager and USPS health. “Dog bite attacks against postal employees are avoidable. The most important message for our customers to remember during the national awareness of the USPS 2025 dog bite is to keep your dog secure and far from the carrier during the delivery of the mail. Help to ensure the safety of all in our communities.”
Dog owners can help delivery of safe mail
Many of us are dog lovers, but few of us are dog experts. Even dogs who have never shown signs of aggression can react in a way that their owners do not expect. They can act without warning on their instinct to protect their owners and their property from their owners. Dogs can attack not only to defend their territory, but also when they feel surprised, anxious or bad. It is not only bad or aggressive dogs – these are unpredictable moments.
Most people know the approximate time that their operator arrives every day. Securing your dog before approaching the carrier of your property will minimize any potentially dangerous interaction.
Keep your dog in a separate room or area of the door when the factor comes to your home. If you go out, close the door behind you firmly and make sure it is secure so that your dog does not slip or do not cross it unexpectedly. If you are outside with your dog while the mail is delivered, make sure your dog is secure away from the bill and a leash. Never accept your postman’s mail in the presence of your dog.
Animal owners should also remind children not to withdraw the mail directly from a letter holder because the dog can consider the carrier as a threat to the child.
Join USPS informed delivery and consult the mail on your electronic device before arriving
Using USPS informed delivery, a free service, customers can digitally preview mail and incoming packages from a computer, tablet or mobile device. Millions of customers have since launched the service in 2017. Invitedddelivery.usps.com. This service can help dog owners anticipate the arrival of their carrier.
The cost of a dog attack
When a postal employee undergoes an injury to a dog attack, it can cost thousands of dollars to the dog owner because he could be responsible for medical bills, lost wages, uniform replacement costs and pain and suffering for the employee.
“Customers may not consider their dog as a danger to others, however, for a carrier like me, all dogs can be considered a threat when delivery of mail,” said Jonah HelfrichA Blue Bell, PALetter holder. “I recently delivered mail and a dog broke through a door and bit my wrist, which forced me to seek medical treatment. I strongly encourage all dog owners to take precautions to ensure that their dog is secure when the mail is delivered.”
Operators know how to deliver safely
The operators are trained to observe an area where they know that dogs can be present. They are taught to be vigilant about potentially dangerous conditions and to respect the territory of a dog.
The operators are trained at:
- Make a non -threatening noise or make a fence to alert a dog if you enter a courtyard;
- Never surprise a dog;
- Keep your eyes on any dog;
- Never assume that a dog will not bite;
- Never try to caress or feed a dog; And
- Place their foot against a swinging door outside to prevent a dog from escaping.
If a dog attacks, the transporters are also trained to hold their terrain and protect their body by placing something between them and the dog – like a mail bag – and to use a dog repellent, if necessary.
Operators have tools to alert them to dogs on their routes. A dog alert function on the portable scanners of carriers can remind them of a possible risk of dog, and dog alert cards must be used during sorting mail to alert the carriers for addresses where a dog can interfere with delivery.
Mail delivery could be suspended due to an unmarked dog
When an operator does not feel safe, the mail service may be stopped.
Until the carrier feels sufficiently safe to restart delivery, the mail must be recovered at the local post office of the dog owner.
If a carrier believes that a house or a neighborhood is not sure to deliver the mail and there is no way to inform residents that its email service has been suspended, residents should contact the supervisor of their local post office for more information. Residents should also recover their mail at the post office until they are sure to resume delivery.
If a dangerous dog problem is not resolved, the owners may be required to rent a post office box to receive mail.
Cities and states with the most dog attacks in 2024
For the ranking of 2024 dog attacks in your specific city or city, contact your local representative of corporate communications in About.usps.com/newsroom/media-ntacts/local.htm.
These 38 cities include the first 20 localities with the greatest number of dog bite incidents:
2024 dog bite / dog incident |
|||
CITY |
# of dog |
Top 20 |
|
1 |
Los Angeles, California |
77 |
1 |
2 |
Houston, Texas |
65 |
2 |
3 |
Chicago, Illinois |
57 |
3 |
4 |
ST. Louis, Missouri |
47 |
4 |
5 |
Cincinnati, Ohio |
44 |
5 |
6 |
Dallas, Texas |
43 |
6 |
7 |
Kansas City, Missouri |
40 |
7 |
8 |
Cleveland, Ohio |
40 |
7 |
9 |
San Diego, California |
35 |
8 |
10 |
Denver, Colorado |
34 |
9 |
11 |
San Antonio, Texas |
32 |
10 |
12 |
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
32 |
10 |
13 |
Detroit, Michigan |
32 |
10 |
14 |
Columbus, Ohio |
32 |
10 |
15 |
Minneapolis, Minnesota |
30 |
11 |
16 |
Indianapolis, Indiana |
26 |
12 |
17 |
Phoenix, Arizona |
25 |
13 |
18 |
Memphis, Tennessee |
25 |
13 |
19 |
Omaha, Nebraska |
24 |
14 |
20 |
Louisville, Kentucky |
24 |
14 |
21 |
Rochester, New York |
23 |
15 |
22 |
Toledo, Ohio |
21 |
16 |
23 |
Sacramento, California |
21 |
16 |
24 |
El Paso, Texas |
21 |
16 |
25 |
San Francisco, California |
20 |
17 |
26 |
Oklahoma City, Oloma |
20 |
17 |
27 |
Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
20 |
17 |
28 |
Albuquerque, New Mexico |
20 |
17 |
29 |
Stockton, California |
18 |
18 |
30 |
Oakland, California |
18 |
18 |
31 |
Youngstown, Ohio |
17 |
19 |
32 |
Salt Lake City, Utah |
17 |
19 |
33 |
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
17 |
19 |
34 |
Miami, Florida |
17 |
19 |
35 |
Monks, iowa |
17 |
19 |
36 |
ST. Petersburg, Florida |
15 |
20 |
37 |
Fort Worth, Texas |
15 |
20 |
38 |
Birmingham, Alabama |
15 |
20 |
Here are the 10 states with the greatest number of dog bite incidents:
2024 dog bite / dog incident |
|||
STATE |
# of dog |
Top 10 |
|
1 |
California |
701 |
1 |
2 |
Texas |
438 |
2 |
3 |
Ohio |
350 |
3 |
4 |
Illinois |
344 |
4 |
5 |
new York |
322 |
5 |
6 |
Pennsylvania |
316 |
6 |
7 |
Michigan |
231 |
7 |
8 |
Florida |
210 |
8 |
9 |
Missouri |
207 |
9 |
10 |
North Carolina |
169 |
10 |
Please note: The United States Postal Service is an independent federal establishment, mandated to be self-financing and to serve each American community through the affordable, reliable and secure delivery of mail and packages to nearly 169 million addresses six and often seven days a week. Supervised by a Bipartite board of directors, the postal service implements a 10 -year transformation plan, Deliver for America,, To modernize the postal network, restore long -term financial sustainability, considerably improve the service in all categories of mail and shipping and maintain the organization as one of the most appreciated and reliable brands in America.
The postal service generally does not receive any tax for operating expenses and is based on the sale of shipping costs, products and services to finance its operations.
For USPS media resources, including quality video broadcast and fixed audio and photo images, visit the USPS writing room. Follow us Xformerly known as Twitter; Facebook; Instagram; Pinterest; Threads; And Liendin. Subscribe to USPS Youtube channel. For more information on postal service, visit USPS.com And Facts.usps.com.
Contact: David P. Coleman
(c) 202-425-1476
david.p.coleman@usps.gov
USPS.com/News
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