CRANFORD, NJ — Dog attacks on Postal Service employees rose to more than 5,800 cases nationwide last year, including two in Cranford.
The Postal Service has a National Dog Bite Awareness Campaign, asking dog owners to be good stewards for safe mail delivery. The campaign began Sunday, June 2, and runs through Sunday, June 9. The theme is “Don’t let your dog bite the hand that serves you.”
“Letter carriers are exposed to potential hazards every day, none more prevalent than a canine encounter. All it takes is one interaction for a letter carrier to possibly suffer an injury,” said Leeann Theriault, USPS manager, employee safety and health awareness.
Most people know the approximate time their letter carrier arrives every day. Securing a dog before the carrier approaches will minimize any potentially dangerous interactions.
The most recent information available from the Insurance Information Institute places the average cost per insurance claim for a dog bite at $64,555, according to a press release from the Postal Service. When a postal employee suffers an injury, the owner could be responsible for medical bills, lost wages, uniform replacement costs, and pain and suffering for the employee, the release said.
There were 135 postal dog bite incidents in New Jersey in 2023. Elizabeth had the most bites of any New Jersey municipality with six reported.
“Even though a customer’s dog is friendly to most people, it can always have a bad day,” said letter carrier Tara Snyder. “I know, from experience, even when a dog is in the house, customers need to make sure their door is secure so their dog can’t push it open and bite the letter carrier.”
Letter carriers have tools to alert them to dogs on their routes. A dog alert feature on carriers’ handheld scanners can remind them of a possible dog hazard, and dog warning cards are used during mail sorting to alert carriers to addresses where a dog may interfere with delivery.
When a carrier feels unsafe, mail service can be stopped. Until the carrier feels safe enough to restart delivery, the mail will have to be picked up at the dog owner’s local Post Office.