The Financial and Emotional Damage of a Dog Attack<\/strong><\/p>\nProtecting your carrier protects your wallet. If your dog attacks a postal worker, you could owe thousands of dollars out of pocket to cover their medical care, lost shifts, replacement clothing and emotional distress.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was walking my route when a dog jumped the fence and lunged at me,\u201d said San Antonio Letter Carrier Fiona Hudson. \u201cI used my dog repellent and mail bag to defend myself, but it was too late. I was rushed to the hospital bleeding, with a broken bone, a severe arm sprain and was barely able to move. While my physical wounds have healed, the trauma of that vicious attack stays with me. Customers must take responsibility and secure their dogs during delivery hours.\u201d<\/p>\n
Take Action: Unsecured Dogs Stop Mail Delivery<\/strong><\/p>\nWhen a carrier feels unsafe because of a roaming dog, mail service can be temporarily suspended.<\/p>\n
Until the carrier feels safe enough to restart delivery, the mail will have to be picked up at the dog owner\u2019s local Post Office.<\/p>\n
If a carrier feels a house or neighborhood is unsafe to deliver to and there is no way to inform residents their mail service has been suspended, the residents will have to contact the supervisor at their local Post Office for more information. The residents would also have to pick up their mail at the Post Office until it is safe to resume delivery.<\/p>\n
If a dangerous dog issue is not resolved, owners can be required to rent a Post Office Box to receive mail.<\/p>\n
Armed with Awareness: How Carriers Prevent Dog Bites<\/strong><\/p>\nPostal carriers undergo extensive safety training to spot potential canine hazards. Carriers are instructed to remain vigilant and exercise the precautions below:<\/p>\n
\n- Announce entry<\/strong>. Rattle a fence gate or make a non-threatening sound before walking into a yard.<\/li>\n
- Maintain visual contact<\/strong>. Never startle an animal and always keep eyes locked on the dog.<\/li>\n
- Assume dog poses risk<\/strong>\u00a0Avoid petting or feeding any animal on the assumption that any dog has the potential to bite.<\/li>\n
- Block exits<\/strong>. Secure outward-swinging doors with a foot to prevent a pet from escaping.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
If a dog attacks, carriers are trained to stand their ground, use their mail satchel as a protective shield and deploy dog repellent if necessary. To stay ahead of these risks, USPS also provides carriers with awareness tools, including handheld scanners that feature built-in dog warning alerts and physical warning cards that are placed into mail sorting cases to alert a carrier of a dog at a certain address.<\/p>\n
Cities and States with the Most Dog Attacks in 2025<\/strong><\/p>\nFor the 2025 dog attack rankings in your specific city or town, contact your local USPS Corporate Communications representative at\u00a0about.usps.com\/newsroom\/media-contacts\/local.htm<\/a>.<\/p>\nThese 33 cities are the top 20 localities with the greatest number of dog bite incidents:<\/p>\n
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\n\n\n| \n 2025 Dog Bite\/Dog Incident Data<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n\n| <\/th>\n | City<\/strong><\/th>\nNumber of Incidents<\/strong><\/th>\nRanking<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n\n\n| 1<\/td>\n | LOS ANGELES<\/td>\n | 70<\/strong><\/td>\n| 1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| 2<\/td>\n | DALLAS<\/td>\n | 50<\/strong><\/td>\n| 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| 3<\/td>\n | DENVER<\/td>\n | 45<\/strong><\/td>\n| 3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| 4<\/td>\n | HOUSTON<\/td>\n | 44<\/strong><\/td>\n| 4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| 5<\/td>\n | CHICAGO<\/td>\n | 43<\/strong><\/td>\n| 5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| 6<\/td>\n | ST. LOUIS<\/td>\n | 40<\/strong><\/td>\n| 6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| 7<\/td>\n | INDIANAPOLIS<\/td>\n | 35<\/strong><\/td>\n| 7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| 8<\/td>\n | SAN DIEGO<\/td>\n | 32<\/strong><\/td>\n| 8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| 9<\/td>\n | SAN ANTONIO<\/td>\n | 31<\/strong><\/td>\n| 9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| 10<\/td>\n | CLEVELAND<\/td>\n | 30<\/strong><\/td>\n| 10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| 11<\/td>\n | KANSAS CITY, MO<\/td>\n | 30<\/strong><\/td>\n| 10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| 12<\/td>\n | CINCINNATI<\/td>\n | 29<\/strong><\/td>\n| 11<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| 13<\/td>\n | MINNEAPOLIS<\/td>\n | 29<\/strong><\/td>\n| 11<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| 14<\/td>\n | OAKLAND, CA<\/td>\n | 27<\/strong><\/td>\n| 12<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| 15<\/td>\n | PHOENIX<\/td>\n | 27<\/strong><\/td>\n| 12<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| 16<\/td>\n | COLUMBUS, OH<\/td>\n | 26<\/strong><\/td>\n| 13<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| 17<\/td>\n | DETROIT<\/td>\n | 24<\/strong><\/td>\n| 14<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| 18<\/td>\n | LOUISVILLE, KY<\/td>\n | 23<\/strong><\/td>\n| 15<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| 19<\/td>\n | MEMPHIS, TN<\/td>\n | 21<\/strong><\/td>\n| 16<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| 20<\/td>\n | OKLAHOMA CITY<\/td>\n | 21<\/strong><\/td>\n| 16<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| 21<\/td>\n | PITTSBURGH<\/td>\n | 21<\/strong><\/td>\n| 16<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| 22<\/td>\n | SACRAMENTO, CA<\/td>\n | 21<\/strong><\/td>\n| 16<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| 23<\/td>\n | FORT WORTH, TX<\/td>\n | 20<\/strong><\/td>\n| 17<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| 24<\/td>\n | LONG BEACH, CA<\/td>\n | 20<\/strong><\/td>\n| 17<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| 25<\/td>\n | MILWAUKEE<\/td>\n | 20<\/strong><\/td>\n| 17<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| 26<\/td>\n | PHILADELPHIA<\/td>\n | 20<\/strong><\/td>\n| 17<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| 27<\/td>\n | PORTLAND, OR<\/td>\n | 20<\/strong><\/td>\n| 17<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| 28<\/td>\n | DAYTON, OH<\/td>\n | 19<\/strong><\/td>\n| 18<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| 29<\/td>\n | JACKSONVILLE, FL<\/td>\n | 19<\/strong><\/td>\n| 18<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| 30<\/td>\n | OMAHA, NE<\/td>\n | 17<\/strong><\/td>\n| 19<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| 31<\/td>\n | MIAMI<\/td>\n | 16<\/strong><\/td>\n| 20<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| 32<\/td>\n | ROCHESTER, NY<\/td>\n | 16<\/strong><\/td>\n| 20<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| 33<\/td>\n | SAN FRANCISCO<\/td>\n | 16<\/strong><\/td>\n| 20<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n Here are the 10 states with the greatest number of dog bite incidents:<\/p>\n \n \n\n\n| \n 2025 Dog Bite\/Dog Incident Data<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n\n| \n \n<\/th>\n | \n State<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/th>\n| \n Number of Incidents<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/th>\n| \n Ranking<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n\n\n| \n 1<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | California<\/td>\n | \n 673<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 1<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| \n 2<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | Texas<\/td>\n | \n 358<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 2<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| \n 3<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | Ohio<\/td>\n | \n 287<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 3<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| \n 4<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | New York<\/td>\n | \n 269<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 4<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| \n 5<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | Pennsylvania<\/td>\n | \n 267<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 5<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| \n 6<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | Illinois<\/td>\n | \n 260<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 6<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| \n 7<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | Florida<\/td>\n | \n 183<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 7<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| \n 8<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | Missouri<\/td>\n | \n 182<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 8<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| \n 9<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | Michigan<\/td>\n | \n 174<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 9<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| \n 10<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | Indiana<\/td>\n | \n 159<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 10<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n Dog bite awareness events will be held across the country throughout June, and USPS will share information on social media using the hashtag #dogbiteawareness.<\/p>\n # # #<\/p>\n | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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