Portland Getting Worse for Postal Workers: 30% Increase in Dog Attacks

You can't blame postal workers in Portland for being a little hesitant when they see a dog.

New numbers released Thursday by the United States Postal Service show that the number of dog attacks increased in Portland in 2015 from the year before.

Last year there were 41 attacks, up from 31 the year before.

Portland's 41 attacks were the ninth most in the country, just behind eighth-place Columbus, Ohio, which had 43.

Houston was the most dangerous city, with 77 attacks last year.

"Dogs are protective in nature and may view our letter carriers handing mail to their owner as a threat," said USPS Safety Director Linda DeCarlo at a news conference.

As a result, the USPS is trying doing outreach, asking customers to let the Post Office know if they have a dog.

The Postal Service will also be adding a feature to mobile devices carries by their workers that will allow them to note dogs on their routes.