SAN DIEGO (CNS) - The U.S. Postal Service released rankings this week tallying which cities had the most dog attacks upon postal employees last year, with San Diego in ninth place with 35 recorded attacks.
The rankings were released ahead of the USPS 2025 National Dog Bite Awareness Campaign, which begins Saturday and highlights the dangers postal employees face when delivering mail around canine residents.
The USPS says more than 6,000 postal employees were attacked by dogs last year across the United States.
In the latest rankings, San Diego had the second-most attacks out of all California cities, behind Los Angeles, which ranked first with 77 attacks. However, San Diego's dog attack numbers did drop from 2023, as the city ranked sixth in last year's rankings with 41 recorded dog attacks.
California also by far outpaced all other states in the latest rankings, with a total of 701 attacks reported last year, though that was down from 727 in 2023. Texas finished a distant second, with 438 reported attacks, up from 411 the year before.
"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. All dogs -- regardless of breed, size or age -- have the potential to bite," Leeann Theriault, USPS manager of Employee Safety and Health Awareness, said in a statement.
"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," the statement continued.
USPS officials urged dog owners to keep their animals inside the house or behind a fence when a letter carrier is approaching. The animals should also be kept away from the door or in another room, or on a leash.
Pet owners were also advised not to let their children take mail directly from a letter carrier, "as the dog may view the carrier as a threat to the child."
The USPS noted that mail carriers are trained on how to respond to potentially threatening situations by working to avoid startling a dog, never attempting to pet or feed a dog and never assuming that a dog will not bite.
The safety campaign also includes an emphasis on the consequences of a dog attack, such as suspended mail service if carriers feel unsafe or monetary consequences in the form of dog owners' responsibility for medical bills, lost wages, uniform replacement costs, and pain and suffering for the employee.
"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," letter carrier Jonah Helfrich said. "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."
