Phoenix ranks among top US cities for dog attacks on Postal Service workers

PHOENIX — Phoenix ranked 17th on the United States Postal Service’s 2016 dog attack report from cities around the nation.

The report, released on Thursday, said about 6,750 dog attacks were reported by postal workers last year. Of those, 35 happened in Phoenix.

“Even good dogs have bad days,” Postal Service Safety Director Linda DeCarlo said in a press release.

The top three cities with the most attacks were Los Angeles (80), Houston (62) and Cleveland (60).

DeCarlo said that the Postal Services’ package pickup application asks its customers to indicate if there is a dog at their location when they schedule delivery times.

“The scanners that Postal Service letter carriers use to confirm a customer’s delivery include a feature for carriers to indicate the presence of a dog at an individual address,” said DeCarlo.

The scanners used by mail delivery workers also keeps them posted on other dog-related information, such as an animal running off its leash.

To prevent attacks, USPS encourages customers to put dogs in separate rooms and close the door when carriers arrive, remind family members to refrain from taking mail from carriers in the presence of dogs and to pick up their mail at their local post office if the carrier feels threatened by their pet.

National Dog Bite Prevention Week starts on Saturday and runs through April 15. The week is meant to educate people on how to prevent dog attacks.