Dog v. Mailman

Though Dog Bite Prevention Week was May 19 - 25, the information that the United States Postal Service released on May 15, 2013 is always relevant.  Dogs and postal service workers have an age old rivalry that is often depicted in cartoons to be a funny incident.  However, there is nothing funny about a dog attack, and no one knows this better than the 5,879 postal employees who were attacked by dogs in 2012.  Los Angeles ranks the most probable for dog versus mail carrier duals to take place.  Ken Snavely, acting postmaster of Los Angeles states, "If our letter carriers deem your loose dog to be a threat, you'll be asked to pick up your mail at the Post Office until it's safe to deliver."

It's not as if dogs have taken a certain liking to letter carriers.  No, while nearly 5,900 attacks is nothing to ignore, it pales in comparison to the 4.7 million Americans who find themselves victim to a dog attack.  Unfortunately, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than half of the 4.7 million victims are children.

If you're a dog owner, it is imperative that you're aware of the potential for any dog to attack, even Oscar, your beloved dachshund.  Make sure you're pup is properly socialized.  Not only is it good for everyone to get out and toss the ball around, but it's a key factor in ensuring that your dog does not perceive every stranger as a threat.

Below is the list of the top cities whose postal employees had a less than pleasant run in with Fido in 2012.  Let's keep Maui off this list:

Ranking	City, State	Attacks
1	Los Angeles, California	69
2	San Antonio, TX and Seattle, WA	42
3	Chicago, Illinois	41
4	San Francisco, California	38
5	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	34
6	Detroit, Michigan	33
7	St. Louis, Missouri	32
8	Baltimore, MD and Sacramento, CA	29
9	Houston, TX and Minneapolis, MN	27
10	Cleveland and Dayton, Ohio	26
11	Buffalo and Brooklyn, New York	24
12	Denver, Colorado	23
13	Dallas, TX and Tacoma, WA	21
14	Wichita, Kansas	20