Worst Towns On LI For Dog Attacks On Postal Workers

LONG ISLAND, NY - U.S. Postal Service workers went home with fewer dog bites last year, but the overall number remains staggeringly high, according to a new report from the agency. The USPS, which released its findings on Thursday, said there were 6,244 workers attacked by canines across the country, which is about 500 fewer attacks than in 2016.

On Long Island, dog attacks on postal workers decreased from 65 attacks in 2017 compared to 94 dog attacks in 2016. (scroll down for data on Long Island towns).

The Long Island town that had the most reported dog attacks in 2017 was Massapequa Park with a total of six attacks, an increase from one attack reported in 2016. Bay Shore had the most in 2016 with six dog bites reported, but has since decreased to one in 2017.

The good news is Long Island postal workers have it easy compared to those in Houston.

Seventy-one Postal Service workers in Houston were attacked last year, and the city managed to leapfrog Los Angeles — which had 67 attacks — to earn the dubious title of worst city in America for dog attacks.

“We’re encouraged by the decrease in dog attacks,” Postal Service Safety Director Linda DeCarlo said in a release. “The totals are still too high, but we’re confident that with continuing education and dog bite prevention training, along with advancing technology, we can keep more people safe and keep attacks trending downward.”

DeCarlo said the agency utilizes a safety feature that alerts mail carriers to dogs on their delivery routes. The application asks customers to indicate if they have dogs at their homes when they schedule package pickups. That information is then relayed to carriers on their delivery scanners, which blast alerts if an unleashed dog is reported.

“The scanners that our carriers use to confirm a customer’s delivery include a feature for them to indicate the presence of a dog at an individual address,” said DeCarlo. “This information is particularly helpful for substitute carriers who fill in for regular carriers on their days off.”

DeCarlo also offered some tips to residents with dogs.

• If a carrier delivers mail or packages to your front door, place your dog in a separate room and close that door before opening the front door. Some dogs burst through screen doors or plate-glass windows to attack visitors. Dog owners should keep the family pet secured.
• 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.
• 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.

Check out which towns had the most number of attacks on Long Island in 2017:

Patch reporter Dan Hampton contributed to this report.

Photo credit: Jose Gil/Shutterstock.com