EDITOR'S NOTE: Multimedia journalist Christian Galeno spoke with U.S. postal workers about dog attacks while on the job. Click the arrow above to watch the video.

LOS ANGELES — More than 5,300 United States Postal Service employees were attacked by dogs while delivering the mail in 2022, and most bites occurred in California, with 675, and Texas, with 404, according to the Postal Service’s national rankings.

What You Need To Know

  • More than 5,300 United States Postal Service employees were attacked by dogs while delivering the mail in 2022

  • Houston topped the list of bites by city with 57 reported dog attacks, followed by Los Angeles, 48, and Dallas, 44

  • The organization advises owners to keep their dogs inside the house, secured behind a door, fence or on a leash when a carrier arrives

  • Carriers have tools to alert them to dogs on their route, USPS said, and are taught to be alert for potentially dangerous conditions

Houston topped the list of bites by city with 57 reported dog attacks, followed by Los Angeles, 48, and Dallas, 44. 

“When our mail carriers are bitten, it is usually a ‘good dog’ that had not previously behaved in a menacing way,” USPS Occupational Safety and Health Senior Director Linda DeCarlo said in a news release. “In 2022, too many aggressive dogs impacted the lives of our employees while delivering the mail. Please help us reduce that number by being a responsible pet owner who secures their dog as we deliver the mail.”

As a part of its annual National Dog Bite Awareness Week public service campaign, the USPS is providing information on how dog owners can help ensure the safety of Postal Service employees.

The organization advises owners to keep their dogs inside the house, secured behind a door, fence or on a leash when a carrier arrives. Dogs are generally protective of their turf, USPS said, and dog owners are responsible for controlling them to ensure the safety of Postal workers.

To help customers plan for incoming mail and allow dog owners to prepare for arrival, the USPS created Informed Delivery, a free digital preview service available on a computer, tablet or mobile device. 

Carriers have tools to alert them to dogs on their route, USPS said, and are taught to be alert for potentially dangerous conditions. Postal Service workers are trained to stand their ground if a dog attacks, and protect their body by placing something between them and the dog and to use repellent when necessary.

“Recently, I was delivering to a customer’s mailbox and was nearly bitten by their large aggressive dog,” said Swain Lowe, a letter carrier in Manassas, Virginia. “Despite the dog being behind a fence, it still managed to jump over and charge me. Thankfully, I was aware of it and remembered not to run but to turn and use my satchel as a shield to prevent what could have been a terrible bite.”

Although customers are asked to control their dogs, bites still happen and may result in injuries to Postal Service workers and medical expenses for dog owners, the organization said.

The National Dog Bite Awareness Week campaign runs June 4 to 10. The theme this year is “Even good dogs have bad days.”

Here are the top 15 cities with the most dog bites reported in 2022, according to USPS:

  1. Houston (57)
  2. Los Angeles (48)
  3. Dallas (44)
  4. Cleveland (43)
  5. San Diego (39)
  6. Chicago (36)
  7. St. Louis (34)
  8. Kansas City (33)
  9. Phoenix, San Antonio (32)
  10. Detroit (30)
  11. Philadelphia (28)
  12. Louisville (26)
  13. Columbus, Ohio (23)
  14. Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Cincinnati (22)
  15. Charlotte, Miami, Indianapolis (21)

For more information about how to protect the safety of letter carriers, visit the USPS website.