SALT LAKE CITY — While most of us would like to think that our dog is friendly and would never bite someone, officials with the U.S. Postal Service are raising the alarm following dog bites on mail carriers rising by more than 180% in just one year.
Incidents involving dog attacks on Postal Service employees rose to more than 6,000 cases nationwide in 2024, and officials say owners can be doing more to ensure the safety of animals and postal workers. “The best way to keep safe from dog attacks is to recognize and promote the responsibility of pet ownership, such as teaching your dog appropriate behavior and commands and not allowing your dog to roam freely. All dogs — regardless of breed, size or age — have the potential to bite,” said Leeann Theriault, USPS employee safety and health awareness manager.
In the Beehive State, there were 55 postal employees attacked by dogs in 2024. Compared to 2023's numbers, when only 43 carriers were attacked. In Salt Lake City, the number of attacks rose from 6 in 2023 to 17 in 2024.
Vincent Williams, a USPS City Carrier, had a close call recently when a dog bit at his mailbag. Williams attempted to defend himself using dog spray.
According to Williams, safety is something that everyone has to be concerned about. "Usually, the mail carrier is there around the same time every day, so you can kind of get a feel of when they're going to be around. You know, just keeping them secure, like inside the house, in the backyard, away from where your mailbox is."
Williams tells FOX 13 News that simple steps like moving the mail box to the curb or keeping your dogs secured when the mail is being delivered can make a big impact on their overall safety.
The cost of an attack is staggering. When a postal worker is injured in a dog attack, the dog's owner can owe thousands of dollars for medical bills, lost wages, uniform replacement costs, and pain and suffering for the employee.
“Customers may not consider their dog a danger to others, however, to a letter carrier like me, all dogs can be considered a threat when delivering the mail,” said Jonah Helfrich, a Blue Bell, PA, letter carrier.
The Postal Service can cut off mail delivery if a carrier feels unsafe. It would then be up to the residents of the home that was cut off to pick up their mail until the carrier feels safe enough to restart deliveries.
If a dangerous dog issue is not resolved, owners can be required to rent a Post Office box to receive mail.
