Community Corner
Dog Attacks On Long Island Postal Workers In 2015, 2016
"Even good dogs have bad days."
The idea of a dog attacking a mailman might seem like a stereotype but the problem exists and according to new data released by the United States Postal Service, dog attacks on mailmen in 2016 are up when compared to the previous year.
According to the USPS, the number of postal employees attacked by dogs nationwide reached 6,755 in 2016, an increase of more than 200 attacks when compared to 2015.
On Long Island, dog attacks on postal workers increased from 94 attacks in 2016 compared to 77 dog attacks in 2015. (scroll down for data on Long Island towns)
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“Even good dogs have bad days,” U.S. Postal Service Safety Director Linda DeCarlo in Los Angeles said in a press release.“Dog bite prevention training and continuing education are important to keep pet owners, pets and those who visit homes — like letter carriers — happy and healthy.”
Postal employees in Los Angeles suffered 80 dog attacks, more than any other city in 2016.
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The USPS defines an “attack” as any time a mail-carrier is harmed or injured by a dog. That can be a scratch, a bite or just a fall suffered running from a charging dog.
To stay ahead of the problem, the USPS has introduced safety measures that alert letter carriers to dogs on their delivery route.
“The Package Pickup application on usps.com asks customers to indicate if there are dogs at their addresses when they schedule package pickups,” the USPS said in a press release. “This information is provided to letter carriers on their delivery scanners, which also can send real-time updates if an unleashed dog is reported in a delivery area.”
About 77.8 million dogs live in U.S. homes, and about 4.5 million Americans are bitten by dogs every year -- half of them children, according to the USPS and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Check out the total number of attacks in each town on Long Island in 2016 and 2015:
| Town | Dog Attack/Bites 2016 | Dog Attack/Bites 2015 |
| Bay Shore | 6 | 4 |
| Lindenhurst | 5 | 0 |
| Huntington Station | 4 | 0 |
| Freeport | 3 | 3 |
| Garden City | 3 | 2 |
| Islip | 3 | 1 |
| Lynbrook | 3 | 1 |
| Merrick | 3 | 2 |
| Ronkonkoma | 3 | 1 |
| Seaford | 3 | 1 |
| Bethpage | 2 | 0 |
| Commack | 2 | 0 |
| Franklin Square | 2 | 1 |
| Great Neck | 2 | 1 |
| Manhasset | 2 | 0 |
| North Babylon | 2 | 2 |
| Patchogue | 2 | 0 |
| Roosevelt | 2 | 0 |
| Sayville | 2 | 2 |
| Shirley | 2 | 0 |
| West Hempstead | 2 | 0 |
| Westbury | 2 | 1 |
| Amityville | 1 | 1 |
| Baldwin | 1 | 1 |
| Bayville | 1 | 1 |
| Brentwood | 1 | 0 |
| Calverton | 1 | o |
| Cedarhurst | 1 | 0 |
| Center Moriches | 1 | 1 |
| Centereach | 1 | 0 |
| Central Islip | 1 | 0 |
| East Hampton | 1 | 0 |
| East Islip | 1 | 1 |
| Farmingdale | 1 | 0 |
| Floral Park | 1 | 2 |
| Glen Cove | 1 | 0 |
| Hempstead | 1 | 0 |
| Hicksville | 1 | 0 |
| Huntington | 1 | 0 |
| Islip Terrace | 1 | 1 |
| Manorville | 1 | 0 |
| Massapequa Park | 1 | 2 |
| Medford | 1 | 0 |
| Middle Island | 1 | 1 |
| New Hyde Park | 1 | 0 |
| Oceanside | 1 | 2 |
| Oyster Bay | 1 | 0 |
| Port Jefferson Station | 1 | 1 |
| Port Washington | 1 | 0 |
| Rockville Centre | 1 | 1 |
| Sound Beach | 1 | 0 |
| Stony Brook | 1 | 0 |
| Syosset | 1 | 1 |
| Valley Stream | 1 | 3 |
| Wantagh | 1 | 2 |
| West Sayville | 1 | 0 |
| Brightwaters | 0 | 1 |
| Copiague | 0 | 1 |
| Deer Park | 0 | 1 |
| East Meadow | 0 | 2 |
| East Northport | 0 | 1 |
| East Rockaway | 0 | 1 |
| Elmont | 0 | 1 |
| Hampton Bays | 0 | 1 |
| Holbrook | 0 | 1 |
| Levittown | 0 | 2 |
| Malverne | 0 | 1 |
| Locust Valley | 0 | 1 |
| Massapequa | 0 | 3 |
| Mineola | 0 | 1 |
| Mount Sinai | 0 | 1 |
| North Massapequa | 0 | 1 |
| Ridge | 0 | 1 |
| Riverhead | 0 | 1 |
| Roslyn Heights | 0 | 1 |
| Sea Cliff | 0 | 1 |
| Smithtown | 0 | 1 |
| Southampton | 0 | 1 |
| Uniondale | 0 | 3 |
| West Babylon | 0 | 2 |
| West Islip | 0 | 2 |
Feroze Dhanoa, Marc Torrence, Paige Austin and City News Service contributed to this report.
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