How Many Wyoming Postal Carriers Were Attacked By Dogs In 2017?
Being a Post Office Mail Carrier is still a dangerous profession in 2018. In Wyoming, it's a lot safer than other areas throughout the country.
For the cowboy state, the number of attacks has gone down. Nine postal employees were attacked by dogs in Wyoming in 2017, which is eight fewer than the year before. The number of attacks per city are:
- Casper - 4
- Cody - 2
- Cheyenne - 1
- Lander - 1
- Rock Springs - 1
Nationally, United State Post Office (USPS) reported 6,244 dog attacks for 2017, more than 500 fewer than the year before. USPS released its annual ranking of top dog attack cities, highlighted safety initiatives to help protect its employees and offered tips to pet owners. They suggest:
- 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.
- The Postal Service places the safety of its employees as a top priority. 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
While the dog problem for postal carriers is very real, it’s not just a postal problem. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), half of the 4.5 million Americans bitten by dogs annually are children.