The city with the most dog attacks was Houston where 77 occurred. Children should avoid taking mail from a carrier in the presence of the family’s dog.
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Phoenix ranked 15th in total number of dog attacks on postal workers with 36 attacks reported in 2015.
It was a bad year for mail carriers getting bitten by dogs.
Though it’s often used as a comedic trope in Hollywood productions, dog attacks on postal workers and visitors can be unsafe. Customers who request that packages be picked up at their addresses will have to disclose if a dog will be at the home when the pickup is made. State Farm, the insurance company, also released some dog bite statistics on Wednesday, saying that it paid out $118 million in dog-related injury claims in 2015. The second safety measure will be effective later this spring. But it also said the animals themselves weren’t to blame, noting that “most dog bites could be prevented by practicing responsible pet ownership”. No other MI city was in the top 30 list. This also is to help substitute carriers on routes. USPS suggests mail recipients place their dogs in a separate room and close that door before opening the front door.
According to the information presented in court, Frederick Burton, 52, of Memphis, had been employed as a mail carrier since 2001. Dogs have been known to burst through screen doors or plate-glass windows to get at strangers.
The Postal Services takes the safety of its employees seriously.
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If a letter carrier feels threatened by a vicious dog or if a dog is running loose, the owner may be asked to pick up the mail at the post office. Moreover, if the dog is roaming the neighborhood, neighbors of the pet owner might be asked to pick up their mail at the Post Office as well.
