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Tuesday, May 19, 2015
ENP STAFF REPORTS
news@eastniagarapost.com
BUFFALO — The U.S. Postal Service released its top 30 dog attack city rankings and offered tips to reduce dog attacks to letter carriers.
Nationwide, 5,767 postal employees were attacked last year. Buffalo ranked 26th with 14 attacks. Carriers in all of Western New York were victims of 79 dog attacks, one of which occurred in Lockport.
“There’s a myth we often hear at the Postal Service: Don’t worry, my dog won’t bite,” said Acting Western NY District Manager of Safety Daniel Welch. “Dog attacks are a nationwide issue and not just a postal problem. Any dog can bite and all attacks are preventable through responsible pet ownership.”
Of the 4.5 million Americans bitten by dogs annually, half of all victims are children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Postal Service, the medical community, veterinarians and the insurance industry are working together to educate the public that dog bites are avoidable by providing prevention tips during National Dog Bite Prevention Week which began Saturday and runs through Friday.
Welch offers the following tips for dog owners:
Nationally, Los Angeles was tops for dog attacks against postal employees in 2014 with 74. Houston was second with 62, followed San Diego, Calif. with 47.
The Postal Service; the American Humane Association (AHA) americanhumane.org; the American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery (ASRM), microsurg.org; the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), avma.org; the Insurance Information Institute (III), iii.org; State Farm Insurance, statefarm.com; and Prevent The Bite (PTB), preventthebite.org, are driving home the message that dog bites are a nationwide issue and that education can help prevent dog attacks to people of all ages.
news@eastniagarapost.com
BUFFALO — The U.S. Postal Service released its top 30 dog attack city rankings and offered tips to reduce dog attacks to letter carriers.
Nationwide, 5,767 postal employees were attacked last year. Buffalo ranked 26th with 14 attacks. Carriers in all of Western New York were victims of 79 dog attacks, one of which occurred in Lockport.
“There’s a myth we often hear at the Postal Service: Don’t worry, my dog won’t bite,” said Acting Western NY District Manager of Safety Daniel Welch. “Dog attacks are a nationwide issue and not just a postal problem. Any dog can bite and all attacks are preventable through responsible pet ownership.”
Of the 4.5 million Americans bitten by dogs annually, half of all victims are children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Postal Service, the medical community, veterinarians and the insurance industry are working together to educate the public that dog bites are avoidable by providing prevention tips during National Dog Bite Prevention Week which began Saturday and runs through Friday.
Welch offers the following tips for dog owners:
- If a letter carrier delivers mail or packages to your front door, place your dog in a separate room and close that door before opening the front door. Dogs have been known to burst through screen doors or plate-glass windows to get at strangers.
- Dog owners should remind their children about the need to keep the family dog secured. Parents should remind their children not to take mail directly from letter carriers in the presence of the family pet as the dog may view the letter carrier handing mail to a child as a threatening gesture.
- The Postal Service places the safety of its employees as a top priority. If a letter carrier feels threatened by a vicious dog or if a dog is running loose, the owner may be asked to pick up the mail at the Post Office until the carrier is assured the pet has been restrained. If the dog is roaming the neighborhood, the pet owner’s neighbors may be asked to pick up their mail at the Post Office as well.
Nationally, Los Angeles was tops for dog attacks against postal employees in 2014 with 74. Houston was second with 62, followed San Diego, Calif. with 47.
The Postal Service; the American Humane Association (AHA) americanhumane.org; the American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery (ASRM), microsurg.org; the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), avma.org; the Insurance Information Institute (III), iii.org; State Farm Insurance, statefarm.com; and Prevent The Bite (PTB), preventthebite.org, are driving home the message that dog bites are a nationwide issue and that education can help prevent dog attacks to people of all ages.
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