Statewide Iowa — The Iowa division of the United States Postal Service is reaching out to people, asking them to keep their dogs away from letter carriers after a recent rash of dog bite incidents in the state.
The USPS says Iowa mail carriers have been bitten 40 times so far this year while delivering mail to the communities they serve.
The Postal Service tells us they place the safety of their employees as a top priority. But they say that in addition to training and coaching on dog bite prevention, Postal employees need the help of their customers to continue to safely deliver the mail.
Nicole Hill, Strategic Communications Specialist with the USPS says that Iowa letter carriers were bitten 80 times while delivering the mail to customers on their routes last year. We’re not even halfway through the year yet in 2021, but Hill says there have been 40 dog bite incidents so far this year already. She says they need your help to stay safe and prevent more injuries.
Hill says dog attacks and bites are 100 percent preventable when dog owners remain vigilant and properly restrain their dogs.
She says carriers practice safe habits like rattling the fences before entering yards and placing dog alert notifications within their mail and on their scanners.
To ensure mail carriers’ safety, the USPS is asking that residents keep their dogs in another room until a delivery exchange is done. If a dog is outside, the dog must be leashed away from the mailbox.
They tell us that when a carrier feels unsafe, mail service could be interrupted, not only for the dog owner but for the entire neighborhood. Hill says that if mail service is interrupted, mail will have to be picked up at the Post Office and service will not be restored until the dog is properly restrained.
