(KTLA) — Is it common for mail carriers in San Diego to get bitten by dogs?
According to the United States Postal Service, Los Angeles leads the nation in dog bites against mail carriers. In 2023, the city had 65 reported dog attacks against postal service workers, taking the top spot over Houston, which had 56. L.A. was second on last year’s list.
Aside from L.A., California cities that were among the top 30 included San Diego (6), Sacramento (16), San Francisco (19) and Long Beach (20).
The list of top 30 cities can be found below:
| City | State | 2023 | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOS ANGELES | CA | 65 | 1 |
| HOUSTON | TX | 56 | 2 |
| CHICAGO | IL | 48 | 3 |
| ST. LOUIS | MO | 46 | 4 |
| CLEVELAND | OH | 44 | 5 |
| SAN DIEGO | CA | 41 | 6 |
| DALLAS | TX | 39 | 7 |
| CINCINNATI | OH | 38 | 8 |
| PHILADELPHIA | PA | 34 | 9 |
| COLUMBUS | OH | 33 | 10 |
| KANSAS CITY | MO | 32 | 11 |
| INDIANAPOLIS | IN | 30 | 12 |
| MEMPHIS | TN | 29 | 13 |
| LOUISVILLE | KY | 28 | 14 |
| MINNEAPOLIS | MN | 27 | 15 |
| ALBUQUERQUE | NM | 26 | 16 |
| SAN ANTONIO | TX | 26 | 16 |
| SACRAMENTO | CA | 26 | 16 |
| MILWAUKEE | WI | 23 | 17 |
| DAYTON | OH | 23 | 17 |
| FORT WORTH | TX | 23 | 17 |
| MIAMI | FL | 21 | 18 |
| DENVER | CO | 21 | 18 |
| OMAHA | NE | 21 | 18 |
| BUFFALO | NY | 20 | 19 |
| SAN FRANCISCO | CA | 20 | 19 |
| LONG BEACH | CA | 19 | 20 |
| TULSA | OK | 19 | 20 |
| PORTLAND | OR | 19 | 20 |
| DETROIT | MI | 19 | 20 |
In the state list, California also came out on top with 727 reported dog bites in 2023. That number puts the state more than 300 above second-ranked Texas.
The list of top 10 states can be found below:
| State | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| CA | 727 | 675 |
| TX | 411 | 404 |
| OH | 359 | 311 |
| PA | 334 | 313 |
| IL | 316 | 245 |
| NY | 296 | 321 |
| FL | 193 | 220 |
| NC | 185 | 146 |
| MI | 183 | 206 |
| MO | 180 | 166 |
The report comes as the USPS starts a weeklong initiative beginning June 2 to spread awareness about mail carrier safety to dog owners.
“Letter carriers are exposed to potential hazards every day, none more prevalent than a canine encounter. All it takes is one interaction for a letter carrier to possibly suffer an injury,” said Leeann Theriault, USPS Manager, Employee Safety and Health Awareness. “The U.S. Postal Service consistently encourages responsible pet ownership. The national dog bite campaign is an effort to promote dog bite awareness to keep our customers, their dogs, and letter carriers safe while delivering the mail.”
According to the USPS, mail carriers are trained on what to do when dogs are in the area.
Some of those lessons include making non-threatening noises to alert a dog of their presence, avoiding startling a dog, refraining from petting or feeding a dog and placing a foot against a swinging door to keep a dog from getting out.
The USPS advised dog owners to lock their animals behind a gate or fence when postal workers arrive at the house or to keep them leashed during walks.
“Even though a customer’s dog is friendly to most people, it can always have a bad day,” letter carrier Tara Snyder stated in the report. “I know, from experience, even when a dog is in the house, customers need to make sure their door is secure so their dog can’t push it open and bite the letter carrier.”
