These four North Texas cities are the worst for dog attacks on USPS mail carriers
Dogs across Dallas-Fort Worth took a huge bite out of mail carriers in 2023.
The United States Postal Service released this week its annual rankings of dog attacks on mail carriers for the previous year. The 2023 rankings put North Texas as one of the most treacherous regions in the state for dog bites.
In total, mail carriers in North Texas were attacked by canines 76 times in 2023. Dallas clocked in with 39 attacks, Fort Worth had 23, Grand Prairie at seven and Garland had seven as well.
Reports of dogs attacking a mail carrier may seem like a tall tale, but it happens more often than you think.
Top 10 Texas cities for dog attacks on USPS employees
Data from 2023
- Houston- 56
- Dallas- 39
- San Antonio- 26
- Fort Worth- 23
- Corpus Christi- 15
- El Paso- 14
- Amarillo- 10
- Austin- 8
- Tied at 9. Grand Prairie- 7
- Tied at 9. Garland- 7
‘Don’t let your dog bite the hand that serves you,’ says USPS
Overall, Texas ranked as the state with the second most dog attacks last year with 411.
California took the top spot with 727 dog attacks on mail carriers last year. Ohio came in third at 359, Pennsylvania in fourth with 334 and Illinois rounds out the top five with 316 attacks.
The point of releasing the annual dog bite rankings every year is to raise awareness for employees, the USPS said.
A few ways that dog owners can help reduce attacks on mail carriers is by keeping their pets inside the house, behind a fence, away from the door or on a leash.
With more then 5,800 cases nationwide last year, the organization is running its “USPS 2024 National Dog Bite Awareness Campaign” from June 2 to 9. This year’s theme is, “Don’t let your dog bite the hand that serves you.”
“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, USPS Manager for Employee Safety and Health Awareness. “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.”
