The Dog Bite Blog

 

Monday, May 19th kicks off National Dog Bite Prevention Week, a public service campaign that creates awareness to the problem of dog bites and emphasizes the need for increased pet owner responsibility.

 

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) conclude that small children, the elderly and Postal Service carries are the most frequent victims of dog attacks.

 

A total of 5,581 postal carriers were bit or attacked be dogs in 2013. To bring awareness to National Dog Bite Prevention Week and the need to address this issue, the Postal Service has released the top 30 cities (comprised of 62 where some hold the same number ) where dog attacks occurred. Is your city listed?

 

Ranking	City, State	Attacks
1	Houston, TX	63
2	Los Angeles, CA	61
3	Cleveland, OH	58
4	San Diego, CA	53
5	Chicago, IL	47
6	Baltimore, MD	46
7	Dallas, TX	45
8	Denver, CO	41
9	Columbus, OH	39
10	Kansas City, MO	33
11	Minneapolis, MN Phoenix, AZ	32
12	Portland, OR	31
13	Sacramento, CA	30
14	Indianapolis, IN	29
15	Philadelphia, PA Seattle, WA St. Louis, MO	28
16	Cincinnati, OH Fort Worth, TX San Jose, CA	26
17	Charlotte, NC	25
18	Miami, FL	23
19	Fresno, CA Long Beach, CA Oakland, CA San Antonia, TX Wichita, KS	22
20	Detroit, MI	21
21	Jacksonville, FL Oklahoma City, OK San Francisco, CA Tulsa, OK	20
22	Memphis, TN	19
23	Brooklyn, NY Rochester, NY	18
24	Washington, D.C.	17
25	Pittsburgh, PA	16
26	Austin, TX Louisville, KY	15
27	Baton Rouge, LA El Paso, TX Flushing, NY Springfield, MO	14
28	Bakersfield, CA Dayton, OH Fort Wayne, IN Las Vegas, NV New Orleans, LA Van Nuys, CA	13
29	Atlanta, GA Aurora, CO Milwaukee, WI San Juan, PR Youngstown, OH	12
30	Cedar Rapids, IA Des Moines, IA Evansville, IN Richmond, CA Richmond, VA Salt Lake City, UT Santa Ana, CA	11

 

The USPS encourages pet owners to do the following to keep postal carriers safe:

 

 

If a letter carrier delivers mail or packages to your front door, place your dog into a separate room and close the door before opening the front door. Dogs have been known to burst through screen doors or plate-glass windows to get at strangers.

 

Dog owners should remind their children about the need to keep the family dog secured. Parents should remind their children not to take mail directly from letter carriers in the presence of the family pet as the dog may see handing mail to a child as a threatening gesture.

 

The Postal Service places the safety of its employees as a top priority. 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 until the carrier is assured the pet has been restrained. If the dog is roaming the neighborhood, the pet owner's neighbors may be asked to pick up their mail at the Post Office as well.

 

How to be a Responsible Dog Owner

 

 

·         Obedience training can teach dogs proper behavior and help owners control their dogs in any situation.

 

 

·          Dogs can be protective of their territory and may interpret the actions of a letter carrier as a threat. Please take precautions when accepting mail in the presence of your pet.

 

 

·         When a letter carrier comes to your home, keep your dog inside, away from the door, in another room or on a leash.

 

 

·         Dogs that haven't been properly socialized, receive little attention or handling, or are left tied up for long periods of time frequently turn into biters.

 

 

Avoiding Attacks

 

 

·         Never leave a baby or small child alone with a dog.

 

 

·        Don't run past a dog. The dog's natural instinct is to chase and catch you.

 

 

·        If a dog threatens you, don't scream. Avoid eye contact. Try to remain motionless until the dog leaves, then back away slowly until the dog is out of sight.

 

 

·          Never approach a strange dog, especially one that's tethered or confined.

 

 

·         Don't disturb a dog that is sleeping, eating or caring for puppies.

 

 

·         Anyone wanting to pet a dog should first obtain permission from the owner.

 

 

·         Always let a dog see and sniff you before petting the animal.

 

 

·        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.

 

 

·         If you are knocked down by a dog, curl into a ball and protect your face with your hand.