USPS: Houston Leads The Pack In Dog Attacks; Philly 15th
By Steve Beck
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The United States Postal Service released its annual list of cities with the most dog attacks on its employees and this year's winner (or loser) is ... Houston, Texas.
The Postal Service says there were 63 dog attacks on postal carriers in the city of Houston in 2013.
Philadelphia had 28 dog attacks, tied with Seattle and St. Louis for 15th.
The Postal Service says 5,581 postal employees were attacked last year nationwide.
National Dog Bite Prevention Week runs from May 18-24 and the Postal Service is reminding dog owners to take steps to prevent attacks on postal employees.
"There's a myth we often hear at the Postal Service," said Postal Service Manager of Safety Linda DeCarlo. "Don't worry - my dog won't bite. Dog attacks are a nationwide issue and not just a postal problem. Any dog can bite and all attacks are preventable through responsible pet ownership."
DeCarlo offered the following tips:
- If a letter carrier delivers mail or packages to your front door, place your dog into a separate room and close the door before opening the front door. Dogs have been known to burst through screen doors or plate-glass windows to get at strangers.
- Dog owners should remind their children about the need to keep the family dog secured. Parents should remind their children not to take mail directly from letter carriers in the presence of the family pet as the dog may see handing mail to a child as a threatening gesture.
- The Postal Service places the safety of its employees as a top priority. If a letter carrier feels threatened by a vicious dog or if a dog is running loose, the owner may be asked to pick up the mail at the Post Office until the carrier is assured the pet has been restrained. If the dog is roaming the neighborhood, the pet owner's neighbors may be asked to pick up their mail at the Post Office as well.
Here is the full list:
1 HOUSTON, TX 63
2 LOS ANGELES, CA 61
3 CLEVELAND, OH 58
4 SAN DIEGO, CA 53
5 CHICAGO, IL 47
6 BALTIMORE, MD 46
7 DALLAS, TX 45
8 DENVER, CO 41
9 COLUMBUS, OH 39
10 KANSAS CITY, MO 33
11 MINNEAPOLIS, MN 32
PHOENIX, AZ
12 PORTLAND, OR 31
13 SACRAMENTO, CA 30
14 INDIANAPOLIS, IN 29
15 PHILADELPHIA, PA 28
SEATTLE, WA
ST LOUIS, MO
16 CINCINNATI, OH 26
FORT WORTH, TX
SAN JOSE, CA
17 CHARLOTTE, NC 25
18 MIAMI, FL 23
19 FRESNO, CA 22
LONG BEACH, CA
OAKLAND, CA
SAN ANTONIO, TX
WICHITA, KS
20 DETROIT, MI 21
21 JACKSONVILLE, FL 20
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
TULSA, OK
22 MEMPHIS, TN 19
23 BROOKLYN, NY 18
ROCHESTER, NY
24 WASHINGTON, DC 17
25 PITTSBURGH, PA 16
26 AUSTIN, TX 15
LOUISVILLE, KY
27 BATON ROUGE, LA 14
EL PASO, TX
FLUSHING, NY
SPRINGFIELD, MO
28 BAKERSFIELD, CA 13
DAYTON, OH
FORT WAYNE, IN
LAS VEGAS, NV
NEW ORLEANS, LA
VAN NUYS, CA
29 ATLANTA, GA 12
AURORA, CO
MILWAUKEE, WI
SAN JUAN, PR
YOUNGSTOWN, OH
30 CEDAR RAPIDS, IA 11
DES MOINES, IA
EVANSVILLE, IN
RICHMOND, CA
RICHMOND, VA
SALT LAKE CITY, UT
SANTA ANA, CA