USPS celebrated National Dog Bite Awareness Week, which ran from Sunday, June 14, through Saturday, June 20, with a new commercial.
“Can you picture a member of your family attacking a mail carrier? Of course not. But with dogs, it happened. 5803 times last year across the nation. The Postal Service places the safety of its employees as a top priority and dedicates a week each year to Dog Bite Awareness. Dog attacks are 100% preventable when dog owners remain vigilant and properly restrain their dogs. To ensure mail carriers safety, dog owners must securely lock their dog in another room until a delivery exchange is done. If outside, dogs must be leashed away from the mailbox. So, please keep your dog on that leash or away from the door so your letter carrier can deliver safely to your mailbox – today and every day,” the voieover says on the 50-second animated spot.
“Even during these difficult times, it’s important for our customers to understand that letter carriers are still coming to homes daily and need to deliver mail safely,” USPS Safety Awareness Program Manager Chris Johnson said in a press statement. “We are confident we can keep moving the trends of attacks downward, and ramping up overall awareness for everyone is the best way to do that”.
The Postal Servive, which released its annual list of cities with the most recorded dog attacks, also highlights safety initiatives to help protect its employees and offers tips to pet owners.
The number of U.S. Postal Service employees attacked by dogs nationwide fell to 5,803 in 2019, which means more than 200 fewer than in 2018 and more than 400 fewer since 2017.