USPS officials release list of cities with the most dog attacks against postal workers

WASHINGTON, D.C. --Officials with the United States Postal Service have released a list of top cities for dog attacks against postal service workers. In conjunction, USPS is recognizing the Postal Services' National Bite Awareness Week, Sunday, June 14 through Saturday, June 20.

According to a recent statement, there were 5,803 postal service employees who were attacked by dogs in 2019. That number is more than 200 fewer reported cases than in 2018.

Of the cities on the list, the top 20 of the 30 are large cities. Houston ranks as the top city for dog attacks, with 85 incidents.

Other top-ranked cities in 2019:

2. Los Angeles (74 cases)

3. Chicago (54 cases)

5. Dallas (40 cases)

7. Philadelphia (34 cases)

9. Denver (30 cases)

10. San Diego (29 cases)

12. Fort Worth (27 cases)

13. Detroit (26 cases, tied with Cincinnati, Ohio)

16. Phoenix (23 cases)

18. Seattle (21 cases, tied with Jacksonville, Fla., Indianapolis, Indiana, and Charlotte, N.C.)

19. Minneapolis (20 cases, tied with Long Beach, Calif. and Dayton, Ohio)

21. Brooklyn (18 cases, tied with Omaha, Neb. and Canton, Ohio)

25. San Francisco (14 cases, tied with Rochester, N.Y., Akron, Ohio, Nashville, Tenn., Austin, Texas and Richmond, Va.)

USPS officials offer ways to prevent attacks


Postal Service officials say dog attacks and bites are 100% preventable when owners remain vigilant and properly restrain their dogs. They say dog owners should securely lock their dog in another room until a delivery exchange is done. If a dog is outside, the dog must be leashed away from the mailbox.

USPS officials also say when a carrier feels unsafe, mail services could be disrupted for the dog owner and the entire neighborhood as well.

"When mail service is interrupted, mail will have to be picked up at the Post Office and service will not be restored until the dog is properly restrained," read a portion of the statement.