Westchester Postal Officials Ask Dog Owners To Help Curb The Bite

If a letter carrier delivers mail or packages to your front door, Westchester postal officials suggest placing your dog in a separate room and closing that door before opening the front door.(This comes from the U.S. Postal Service) A Westchester letter carrier was recently attacked on May 20 by two dogs who burst through the screen of a homeowner’s front door. In light of the recent attack and the June 21 start of summer, postal officials are once again appealing to dog owners to keep the family pet properly secured at all times to help protect postal letter carriers and improve overall neighborhood safety.

The number of U.S. Postal Service employees attacked by dogs nationwide fell to 5,714 in 2018 — more than 500 fewer than in 2017 and more than 1,000 fewer since 2016. But, for postal officials and mail carriers, one bite is one too many.

Locally, U.S. Postal Service Westchester District Safety Manager Kaylei VanHassel notes 43 letter carriers were attacked by dogs in Westchester in 2018. The State of New York was third in the nation in 2018 for dog attacks on postal employees with 339. California was first with 794 and Texas was second with 462.

“We are appealing to dog owners to make sure their family pet is properly restrained on a leash and kept away from where the mail is delivered,” stresses Ms. Van Hassel.

If a letter carrier delivers mail or packages to your front door, Westchester postal officials suggest placing your dog in a separate room and closing that door before opening the front door.

“The May 20 dog attack in Westchester is an example of how some dogs can push through screen doors to attack visitors,” adds the postal safety manager.

Ms. Van Hassel also recommends never taking mail directly from carriers in the presence of the family pet, as the dog may see this as a threatening gesture.

“With the help of pet owners, we can keep Westchester letter carriers, our neighbors and pets safe,” concludes Van Hassel.

For more dog bite prevention information, check-out the Postal Service’s video on dog bite prevention available on the postal service YouTube site, USPS TV.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.