The US Postal Service is asking local dog owners to control their pets when the mail carriers arrive, especially during the summer months. Last year, dogs attacked approximately 5,800 mail carriers. It’s the cause for this year’s awareness campaign, “Don’t let your dog bite the hand that serves you.” The Postal Service says even smaller dogs can be a threat. National Association of Letter Carriers Union Syracuse Branch 134 President Tom Dlugolenski delivered mail for 25 years. On behalf of all postal workers, he asks this of dog owners.
“First and foremost is always just keep your dog inside knowing when the mailman comes by. Secondly, somehow try to acclimate your dog to the surroundings, get to know your mailman, that kind of thing, so that when you see the mailman and you're a pet owner, the dog doesn't perceive the mailman as a threat.”
Dlugolenski says some people train their guard dogs to be unfriendly. In those cases, it’s the owner’s responsibility to create safe zones for their dogs to stay well distanced from carriers. Placing the mailbox at the beginning of the driveway, will ensure their mail to continues to be delivered.
“So, someone who has a dog in the inner city, the box could be placed down at the curb. So outside the fence, or at least away from the door where the dog normally is, or the porch.”
On average, each time a Postal Carrier is attacked by a dog, it costs the postal service an estimated $64,000 in medical expenses. Dlugolenski says the estimate likely includes lost compensation time for having to be out of work. The Postal Service says New York State had 296 dog bite incidents involving mail carriers in 2023… down from 321 the year before.