HARRISBURG, PA — The United States Postal Services (USPS) has reported that incidents of canine related attacks on Postal Service employees rose to more than 5,800 cases last year, despite postal workers carrying dog spray repellant (pictured left).
The USPS has also released data ranking each state by number of dog bites. Once again, Pennsylvania ranks in the top four states in terms of number of dog attacks on postal workers.
With this information and attacks on the rise nationally, the USPS is continuing to raise awareness by spreading information via the “USPS 2024 National Dog Bite Awareness Campaign.” Here is a link to the USPS’s site, which announces:
The campaign begins Sunday, June 2, and runs through Sunday, June 9. This year’s theme is “Don’t let your dog bite the hand that serves you.” Spread the news of the campaign with the hashtag #dogbiteawareness.
Every Dog is Potentially Dangerous
The USPS wants dog owners to know that every canine is potentially dangerous:
Letter carriers know all dogs can bite, even those perceived as nonaggressive. Dogs are generally protective of their turf and dog owners have an important responsibility to control them to ensure safe mail delivery.
Reasonable Control of Animals
The USPS stresses the important of having the animal under reasonable control, particularly at the time of mail delivery:
Most people know the approximate time their letter carrier arrives every day. Securing your dog before the carrier approaches your property will minimize any potentially dangerous interactions.
When a letter carrier comes to your home, keep dogs:
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- Inside the house or behind a fence;
- Away from the door or in another room; or
- On a leash.
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Involvement of Children
The USPS notes that an otherwise safe dog can become dangerous when protecting a child during mail delivery:
Pet owners also should remind children not to take mail directly from a letter carrier as the dog may view the carrier as a threat to the child.
Importance of Liability Insurance
The USPS also stresses the important of dog owners to obtain either renter’s insurance or homeowner’s liability coverage:
According to the most recent information available from the Insurance Information Institute, the average cost per insurance claim for a dog bite is $64,555. When a postal employee suffers an injury, the owner could be responsible for medical bills, lost wages, uniform replacement costs, and pain and suffering for the employee.
Let’s Get Started
We love putting our experience and knowledge to work, helping victims of dog bite related attacks and injuries. For a postal worker (or other delivery driver) bitten by a dog, a claim can exist both against the dog owner and also for workers’ compensation. Contact a Pittsburgh dog bite lawyer at our firm for a free, no-obligation consultation regarding any canine attack in Pennsylvania.