CINCINNATI — Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland are among the top cities for dog attacks against postal workers, according to the U.S. Postal Service. As part of Dog Bite Awareness Week, the agency is asking pet owners to help protect its employees.
On 2023's list of cities with the most dog attacks against postal workers, Cincinnati ranks eighth with 38 incidents, according to USPS data. That's up from 22 in 2022.
“That’s 38 of our employees that didn’t have to be injured that were so that’s why it’s so important," said Naddia Dhalai, the Ohio spokesperson for USPS.
USPS said it trains carriers on dog safety. This includes making a non-threatening noise and not startling any dogs they come across, not assuming a dog won't bite and keeping their eyes on any dogs.
Officials said they also take note of the locations of any incidents so any carrier delivering mail to that address has a heads up and can take extra precautions.
USPS is also asking dog owners to take a few steps to keep its employees safe too. It said most people know the time of day their letter carrier arrives, so dog owners should keep dogs on a leash or inside around that time.
“We also ask if they have children in the home, not to run and get the mail because the dog might be right behind the child, trying to protect the child," said Dhalai.
