The cliché is real: These are the U.S. cities with the most dog attacks on delivery and postal workers
The United States Postal Service has released a ranking of the cities that witnessed the most dog attacks on mail carriers in 2024.
The United States Postal Service (USPS) says there were more than 6,000 dog attacks on mail carriers nationwide in 2024 - up from the approximately 5,800 incidents counted by the agency the previous year.
In a news release this week, the USPS revealed that Los Angeles witnessed the most dog attacks on its employees last year, followed by Houston and Chicago. The trio of cities also made up 2023’s top three, in the same order.
USPS dog attack rankings for 2024 - top 10:
- 1. Los Angeles, CA: 77
- 2. Houston, TX: 65
- 3. Chicago, IL: 57
- 4. St. Louis, MO: 47
- 5. Cincinnati, OH: 44
- 6. Dallas, TX: 43
- 7. Kansas City, MO: 40
- =. Cleveland, OH: 40
- 9. San Diego, CA: 35
- 10. Denver, CO: 34
“Secure Your Dog, Keep Deliveries on Track”
In its press release, USPS also announced the launch of a month-long dog-bite-awareness campaign, under the theme “Secure Your Dog, Keep Deliveries on Track.” The campaign kicks off today, Sunday June 1.
“All dogs - regardless of breed, size or age - have the potential to bite,” said Leeann Theriault, USPS’s employee safety and health awareness manager.
“The best way to keep safe from dog attacks is to recognize and promote the responsibility of pet ownership, such as teaching your dog appropriate behavior and commands and not allowing your dog to roam freely.
“Dog bite attacks on postal employees are preventable. The most important message for our customers to remember during the 2025 USPS National Dog Bite Awareness Campaign is keep your dog secured and away from the carrier as the mail is being delivered.
“Help ensure the safety of everyone in our communities.”
How to prevent dog attacks
To avoid attacks on mail workers as they carry out deliveries at your home, the USPS offers the following specific tips for keeping your dog under control:
- Ensure your dog is secured in a separate room or an area well away from your front door
- If you step outside of your home to accept delivery, close the front door behind you
- If your are outside and your dog is with you, secure the pet on a leash, away from the mail carrier
- Do not allow children to be handed mail by a USPS worker; your dog could deem the carrier a threat to the child
“A dog barged through the door and bit me”
Jonah Helfrich, a USPS mail carrier in Blue Pell, Pennsylvania, said: “Customers may not consider their dog a danger to others, however, to a letter carrier like me, all dogs can be considered a threat when delivering the mail.
“I was recently delivering mail and a dog barged through a door and bit me on the wrist, which required me to seek medical treatment. I strongly encourage all dog owners to take precautions to make sure their dog is secure when mail is being delivered.”
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