CENTRAL PA — The number of postal employees attacked by dogs nationwide reached 6,244 in 2017 — more than 500 fewer than 2016. Sixty-eight of those attacks occurred in Central PA, down from 114 in 2016; a 40 percent reduction! Below are national and local statistics for dog attacks.
“Dog attack prevention is about vigilance,” said Central PA District Safety Manager Pam Youch. “Our employees must be vigilant in identifying where dogs reside and taking necessary precautions; dog owners must be vigilant in keeping dogs restrained when carriers are at their home; and we need to teach our children on how to behave around family pets as well as dogs they do not know.”
Half of the 4.5 million Americans bitten by dogs annually are children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In promotion of National Dog Bite Prevention Week, which runs Sunday, April 8 through Saturday, April 14, the Postal Service, joined by the American Humane, American Veterinary Medical Association, Insurance Information Institute and State Farm Insurance, is driving home the message that dog bites are a national issue and education can resolve the issue.
Local Figures
Here are where the 68 dog attacks to local postal employees occurred. Post Offices with the greatest reductions include Allentown (75%); Reading (41%); and York (57%).
|
ALLENTOWN
|
1
|
|
BERWICK
|
2
|
|
BETHLEHEM
|
2
|
|
CARBONDALE
|
3
|
|
COOPERSBURG
|
1
|
|
DILLSBURG
|
1
|
|
EASTON
|
3
|
|
ELVERSON
|
1
|
|
FOREST CITY
|
1
|
|
HARRISBURG
|
5
|
|
HERSHEY
|
1
|
|
LANCASTER
|
3
|
|
MACUNGIE
|
1
|
|
MANSFIELD
|
1
|
|
MARIETTA
|
1
|
|
MECHANICSBURG
|
2
|
|
NANTICOKE
|
1
|
|
NEW CUMBERLAND
|
1
|
|
OLYPHANT
|
1
|
|
PITTSTON
|
1
|
|
PLYMOUTH
|
2
|
|
POTTSVILLE
|
3
|
|
READING
|
7
|
|
SCRANTON
|
6
|
|
SUNBURY
|
1
|
|
TOWANDA
|
1
|
|
WARFORDSBURG
|
1
|
|
WHITEHALL
|
3
|
|
WILKES BARRE
|
6
|
|
WILLIAMSPORT
|
2
|
|
YORK
|
3
|
Enhancing Employee Safety
The Postal Service promoted two safety measures to alert USPS carriers of dogs on their delivery routes. Customers using usps.com’s Package Pickup are asked to indicate if there is a dog at their address when they schedule a package pickup.
In addition, the Mobile Delivery Devices letter carriers use to scan packages to confirm delivery includes a feature that allows carriers to indicate the presence of a dog at an individual address. This is especially helpful to substitutes who fill-in for letter carriers on their days off.
USPS gave the following tips and encouraged sharing them using the hashtag #preventdogbites. A video on dog bite prevention tips is available on the Postal Service’s YouTube channel.
· Parents should remind their children and other family members not to take mail directly from carriers in the presence of the family pet, as the dog may view the person handing mail to a family member as a threatening gesture.
· The Postal Service places the safety of its employees as a top priority. If a carrier feels threatened by a dog, or if a dog is loose or unleashed, the owner may be asked to pick up mail at a Post Office until the carrier is assured the pet has been restrained. If a dog is roaming the neighborhood, the pet owner’s neighbors also may be asked to pick up their mail at the area’s Post Office.
The Central PA District covers service to ZIP Code areas beginning with 169 through 188; 195 and 196.
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
SOURCE: US Postal Service
