Pasco postal employees had fewer run-ins with dogs last year than the year before.

A total of seven dog bites involving Pasco postal workers were reported in 2023, compared to 10 in 2022, the U.S. Postal Service said in a statement. West Richland had two incidents, and Yakima had four, the postal service said.

Overall, Washington was No. 19 in the nation for dog bites against mail carriers, tied with Minnesota.

The state had 108 reported incidents, a drop of 28 over the previous year.

Nationwide, however, incidents were up. About 5,822 dog bites/incidents against postal employees were reported last year, representing an increase of more than 530 occurrences over 2022, the postal service said.

The agency released dog bite data in conjunction with Postal Service Dog Bite Awareness Week, which is June 2-9.

“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, manager of employee safety and health awareness for the postal service, in the statement. “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.”

Safety tips

People with dogs should take steps to help keep mail carriers safe, including keeping pups inside the house or securely behind a fence, away from the door or in another room, or on a leash, the postal service said.

Mail carriers are trained to watch for dogs, be alert for potentially dangerous conditions and respect a dog’s territory, the agency said in the statement. They also have tools to alert for dogs, including a dog alert feature on their handheld scanners and dog warning cards to remind of possible hazards, and they're trained how to act in a dog attack.

Consequences

When a postal employee is hurt by a dog on the job, the owner could be responsible for medical bills, lost wages, uniform replacement costs, and pain and suffering, the postal service said.

The average cost per insurance claim for a dog bite is $64,555, the agency said.

Additionally, mail service can be halted for the entire neighborhood with a carrier feels unsafe, the agency said.

"Many attacks could be avoided if dog owners would take a few extra moments of precaution. Even one bite is one too many when it comes to the safety of letter carriers, friends and family, and members of our communities," the postal service said in the statement.

Dog attacks in Washington’s five largest cities since 2019 

  Source: USPS