North Carolina among top 10 states where mail carriers are bitten by dogs

(KTLA) — Los Angeles is famous for a multitude of things, including entertainment, food and traffic, but the City of Angels has become famous for a different reason.

According to the United States Postal Service, Los Angeles leads the country in dog bites against mail carriers. In 2023, the city recorded 65 dog attacks on postal service workers, surpassing Houston, which had 56. Los Angeles was second on last year’s list.

Aside from Los Angeles, California cities that were in the top 30 included San Diego (6), Sacramento (16), San Francisco (19), and Long Beach (20).

The list of the top 30 cities can be found below:

On the state list, California also ranked first with 727 dog bites reported in 2023. That number puts the state more than 300 ahead of Texas, which ranks second.

The list of the top 10 states can be found below:

The report comes as the USPS begins a week-long initiative starting June 2 to raise awareness about mail carrier safety among dog owners.

“Post carriers are exposed to potential dangers every day, none more frequent than an encounter with a dog. All it takes is one interaction for a mail carrier to possibly suffer an injury,” said Leeann Theriault, USPS Employee Health and Safety Manager. “The US 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 mail 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 to your presence, avoiding scaring the dog, refraining from petting or feeding it, and placing one foot against a swinging door to prevent the dog from getting out.

The USPS recommended dog owners lock their animals behind a gate or fence when postal workers arrive at the house or keep them on a leash during walks.

“Although a customer’s dog is friendly with most people, he can always have a bad day,” mail carrier Tara Snyder states in the report. “I know from experience, even when there is a dog in the house, clients should make sure the door is secure so their dog can’t open it and bite the mailman.”