We’ve all been there before. Just strolling along on a leisurely walk with our dog when the mailman pulls up and hops out of his truck to make a few deliveries. While the loving pup at the other end of your leash might bark and leap excitedly towards the delivery person, you might have found yourself uttering the phrase, “It’s okay, my dog doesn’t bite.” Still, you watch the postal worker proceed apprehensively and hurry back to his vehicle.
The sad truth is that over 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs in America every year with over 800,000 of them requiring medical attention. The most frequent victims are children, the elderly and postal workers. Interestingly enough, most dog bites on young children take place during normal everyday activities with familiar dogs. As loving dog owners, it’s our responsibility to educate ourselves and our families about taking the proper steps to prevent dog bites and attacks on our loved ones and strangers.
To raise awareness for National Dog Bite Prevention Week the United States Postal Service recently released their list of U.S. cities where the most dog attacks occurred on postal workers in 2014. A total of 5,767 USPS workers were attacked last year. The announcement also includes some tips on how dog owners can take steps to ensure the safety of their local mail carriers and any other delivery workers that may approach your front door.
For more information and educational documents on National Dog Bite Prevention Week, be sure to visit the following resources: