Postal Service Takes A Bite
Out of Canine Aggression

These days, it can be downright dangerous to be a United States letter carrier and perhaps there’s no place more perilous for our hardworking postal pals than in California. Why? The Golden State has the dubious distinction of being the dog bite capital of the country.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association and The Humane Society of the United States , small children, the elderly and letter carriers—in that order—are the most frequent victims of dog attacks. For this reason, The United States Postal Service (USPS) is hoping to, um, stamp out the problem by sponsoring National Dog Bite Prevention Week (May 20-27), a time to deliver (pardon the multiple metaphors!) an importance message about safety around dogs.

Maybe it’s the relatively small size of Santa Barbara or perhaps our canine companions are simply better trained, but the fact is that only two letter carriers in our coastal community suffered dog bites in 2006 and one in 2005. That’s a pretty good record when you consider that the city of Santa Ana lead the pack with a reported 96 bites; followed by Sacramento with 82; Los Angeles, 77; and Oakland, 76. Overall, 3,184 letters carriers across the United States were bitten by dogs in 2006, down from 3,273 the previous year. ( New York City, on the other hand, recorded NO dog bite incidents last year.) Now that’s certainly a canine conundrum.

Still, even one bite is too many, says Turi Engler, Acting Postmaster for the Santa Barbara branch of the USPS. She wants people to be aware of the danger posed by protective pooches.

“No matter how big or small, any dog with teeth has the capacity to bite and cause injury,” she says, adding that all letter carriers in Santa Barbara attend dog safety classes and carry peppy spray “just in case.”

Mike Spates, Acting Vice President and Consumer Advocate for the USPS concurs with Engler and says, “Two fables we often hear in the Postal Service is: ‘The check’s in the mail’ and ‘Don’t worry, my dog won’t bite.’ The truth is, any dog can bite, no matter how cute it is.”

So, the next time you’re waiting for that big check to arrive in the mail, Engler has this suggestion: “When a letter carrier comes to your home, be sure your dog is on a leash or, better yet, leave your dog inside while you step out to accept your mail.”

Here are more recommendations from the USPS:

• Don’t run past a dog. The dog’s natural instinct is to chase and catch prey.
• If a dog threatens you, don’t scream. Avoid eye contact. Try to remain motionless (with your hands at your side) until the dog leaves, then back away slowly until the dog is out of sight.
• Don’t approach a strange dog, especially one that’s tethered or confined.
• While letter carriers are discouraged from petting animals, people who choose to pet dogs should always let a dog see and sniff them first.
• If you believe a dog is about to attack you, try to place something between yourself and the dog, such as a backpack or a bicycle (letter carriers often use their mail pouch for protection).
• Don’t let your child take mail from the letter carrier in the presence of your dog. His instinct is to protect the family.

Now that’s first-class advice I can really sink my teeth into.

 

Karen avoids the whole mail melee by picking up her letters and packages at the San Roque Post Office. She also enjoys receiving correspondence (no bills, please) by email at karenleestevens@cox.net.

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By Karen Lee Stevens,
Founder & President, ALL FOR ANIMALS, Inc.
Copyright © 2008. All Rights Reserved.

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