![\""Any](\"http:\/\/about.usps.com\/news\/national-releases\/2018\/images\/pr18_025-1.jpg\")
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SAN DIEGO<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 USPS – 4\/5\/18 – The number of postal employees attacked by dogs nationwide reached 6,244 in 2017 \u2014 more than 500 fewer than 2016. Today, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is showcasing technology that alerts mail carriers of potential attacks while releasing its annual list of cities where the most dog attacks were recorded. The organization also highlights safety initiatives to help protect its employees and offers tips to pet owners.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re encouraged by the decrease in dog attacks,\u201d said U.S. Postal Service Safety Director Linda DeCarlo in San Diego, where postal employees suffered 46 attacks \u2014 the fifth ranked city in 2017. \u201cThe totals are still too high, but we\u2019re confident that with continuing education and dog bite prevention training, along with advancing technology, we can keep more people safe and keep attacks trending downward.\u201d<\/p>\n Enhancing Employee Safety\u00a0<\/strong> \u201cThe scanners that our carriers use to confirm a customer\u2019s delivery include a feature for them to indicate the presence of a dog at an individual address,\u201d said DeCarlo. \u201cThis information is particularly helpful for substitute carriers who fill in for regular carriers on their days off.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 DeCarlo is in San Diego Thursday, April 5, to kick off National Dog Bite Prevention Week, which runs Sunday, April 8, through Saturday, April 14. The Postal Service, joined by the\u00a0American Humane,<\/a><\/em>\u00a0American Veterinary Medical Association<\/a>,<\/em>\u00a0Insurance Information Institute<\/a><\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0State Farm Insurance<\/a>,<\/em>\u00a0is driving home the message that dog bites are a national issue and education can resolve the issue.<\/p>\n Half of the 4.5 million Americans bitten by dogs annually are children, according to the\u00a0Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n DeCarlo gave the following tips and encouraged sharing them using the hashtag\u00a0#preventdogbites<\/em>.<\/strong>\u00a0A video on dog bite prevention tips is available on the Postal Service\u2019s YouTube channel.<\/p>\n American Humane<\/a>, the country\u2019s first national humane organization, estimates that more than 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year with 800,000 seeking medical attention for these bites \u2014 more than half of them being children.<\/p>\n \u201cTwo-thirds of the injuries occurring in children four years or younger are to the head or neck region, and studies have also shown that the greatest percentage of dog-bite fatalities occurred among children and unsupervised newborns left with dogs \u2014 something that should never occur,\u201d said Mark Stubis, chief communications officer, American Humane.\u00a0 \u201cTo help, American Humane offers a free online booklet, \u2018Pet Meets Baby<\/a>,\u2019 with valuable information on introducing a new child to a home with a pet \u2014 or a new pet into a home with a child available for families with children.\u201d<\/p>\n Insurance company State Farm reports that in 2017, it paid more than $132 million as a result of 3,618 dog-related injury claims. The average cost paid per claim was $36,573. \u201cState Farm is also one of the few insurance companies that does not exclude homeowner or renter insurance coverage because of the breed of dog owned,\u201d said Heather Paul, State Farm public affairs specialist. \u201cThe company reinforces that responsible pet ownership and educating children about how to safely interact with dogs is key to reducing dog bites.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVeterinarians see firsthand the needless heartbreak a dog bite can cause,\u201d said Dr. Mike Topper, AVMA President. \u201cWe know that dog bites are not a breed-specific issue and that\u00a0any\u00a0dog can bite. We also know that most bites can be prevented through\u00a0education<\/a>. Your veterinarian and the AVMA have extensive\u00a0resources<\/a>\u00a0designed to keep your pup, no matter what their breed, a happy, healthy member of your family and community.<\/p>\n 2017 Dog Attack Rankings by City<\/strong> Office State<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n CY-17<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n CY-16<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 1<\/p>\n<\/td>\n TX<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 71<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 62<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 2<\/p>\n<\/td>\n CA<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 67<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 80<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 3<\/p>\n<\/td>\n MO<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 52<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 31<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 4<\/p>\n<\/td>\n OH<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 49<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 60<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 5<\/p>\n<\/td>\n CA<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 46<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 57<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 6<\/p>\n<\/td>\n MD<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 44<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 36<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 6<\/p>\n<\/td>\n TX<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 44<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 42<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 7<\/p>\n<\/td>\n OH<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 43<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 39<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 8<\/p>\n<\/td>\n TX<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 40<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 41<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 9<\/p>\n<\/td>\n KY<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 39<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 51<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 10<\/p>\n<\/td>\n IL<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 38<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 46<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 11<\/p>\n<\/td>\n CO<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 35<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 47<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 12<\/p>\n<\/td>\n CA<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 32<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 22<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 12<\/p>\n<\/td>\n MI<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 32<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 48<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 12<\/p>\n<\/td>\n MO<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 32<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 30<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 13<\/p>\n<\/td>\n CA<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 28<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 23<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 13<\/p>\n<\/td>\n WA<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 28<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 31<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 14<\/p>\n<\/td>\n MN<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 27<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 43<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 14<\/p>\n<\/td>\n NC<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 27<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 33<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 14<\/p>\n<\/td>\n PA<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 27<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 40<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 15<\/p>\n<\/td>\n CA<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 26<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 21<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 15<\/p>\n<\/td>\n TX<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 26<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 33<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 16<\/p>\n<\/td>\n FL<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 25<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 15<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 16<\/p>\n<\/td>\n IN<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 25<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 44<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 16<\/p>\n<\/td>\n NY<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 25<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 11<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 16<\/p>\n<\/td>\n OH<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 25<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 24<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 16<\/p>\n<\/td>\n OH<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 25<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 18<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 17<\/p>\n<\/td>\n AZ<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 24<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 35<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 17<\/p>\n<\/td>\n CA<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 24<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 30<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 17<\/p>\n<\/td>\n OR<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 24<\/p>\n<\/td>\n 41<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" SAN DIEGO\u00a0\u2014 USPS – 4\/5\/18 – The number of postal employees attacked by dogs nationwide reached 6,244 in 2017 \u2014 more than 500 fewer than 2016. Today, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is showcasing technology that alerts mail carriers of potential attacks while releasing its annual list of cities where the most dog attacks were […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23096,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23094","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-usps-news","last_archivepost"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/postalemployeenetwork.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23094","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/postalemployeenetwork.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/postalemployeenetwork.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postalemployeenetwork.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postalemployeenetwork.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23094"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/postalemployeenetwork.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23094\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23095,"href":"https:\/\/postalemployeenetwork.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23094\/revisions\/23095"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postalemployeenetwork.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/postalemployeenetwork.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postalemployeenetwork.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postalemployeenetwork.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nDeCarlo highlights USPS safety measures that alert mail carriers to dogs on their delivery routes. The Package Pickup application on\u00a0usps.com<\/em>\u00a0asks customers to indicate if there are dogs at their addresses when they schedule package pickups. This information is provided to carriers on their delivery scanners which send alerts if an unleashed dog is reported in a delivery area.<\/p>\n![\"information](\"http:\/\/about.usps.com\/news\/national-releases\/2018\/images\/pr18_025-2.jpg\")
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\nA total of 6,244 postal employees were attacked by dogs in 2017. The top 30 city rankings are below. Some cities share the same rankings as they experienced the same number of attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n <\/td>\n Office City<\/strong><\/td>\n \n \n \n \n \n HOUSTON<\/td>\n \n \n \n \n \n LOS ANGELES<\/td>\n \n \n \n \n \n ST LOUIS<\/td>\n \n \n \n \n \n CLEVELAND<\/td>\n \n \n \n \n \n SAN DIEGO<\/td>\n \n \n \n \n \n BALTIMORE<\/td>\n \n \n \n \n \n SAN ANTONIO<\/td>\n \n \n \n \n \n COLUMBUS<\/td>\n \n \n \n \n \n DALLAS<\/td>\n \n \n \n \n \n LOUISVILLE<\/td>\n \n \n \n \n \n CHICAGO<\/td>\n \n \n \n \n \n DENVER<\/td>\n \n \n \n \n \n LONG BEACH<\/td>\n \n \n \n \n \n DETROIT<\/td>\n \n \n \n \n \n KANSAS CITY<\/td>\n \n \n \n \n \n OAKLAND<\/td>\n \n \n \n \n \n SEATTLE<\/td>\n \n \n \n \n \n MINNEAPOLIS<\/td>\n \n \n \n \n \n CHARLOTTE<\/td>\n \n \n \n \n \n PHILADELPHIA<\/td>\n \n \n \n \n \n SAN JOSE<\/td>\n \n \n \n \n \n FORT WORTH<\/td>\n \n \n \n \n \n MIAMI<\/td>\n \n \n \n \n \n INDIANAPOLIS<\/td>\n \n \n \n \n \n ROCHESTER<\/td>\n \n \n \n \n \n CINCINNATI<\/td>\n \n \n \n \n \n TOLEDO<\/td>\n \n \n \n \n \n PHOENIX<\/td>\n \n \n \n \n \n SACRAMENTO<\/td>\n \n \n \n \n \n PORTLAND<\/td>\n \n \n \n