Just How Often Do Postal Workers Get Bit By Dogs…It’s More Than You Think

Do you remember those cartoons that we used to watch as kids where the dog is chasing after the mailman? He gets scared and runs down the street with the dog chomping at his feet and then finally bites his rear end. Well, as dramatized as that may be, dog attacks do happen on our postal workers, and it might shock you to find out just how many. 

How Many People are Bit by Dogs in 2022?

Before we can look at postal workers, we need to understand just how many people are bitten by dogs annually. According to the World Animal Foundation, in 2022, almost 4.5 million were attacked and bitten by dogs in the United States alone. 

How Often Do Postal Workers Get Bit By Dogs?

Out of the 4.5 million people around the United States who have been bitten, 5,300 of them are postal workers. This makes for one dangerous profession, in our opinion. 

According to a Forbes study on dog bites with the United States Postal Service, they have this to say about dog bites in the last year.

“While a dog biting a postal worker may seem like a cliché, the reality is that this stereotype is grounded in reality. In 2022 alone, more than 5,300 postal workers were victims of dog attacks. Dogs often view mail carriers as intruding on their personal space and may engage in aggressive behavior to defend their territory.”

The United States Postal Service is aware of these ongoing issues, and they strive to offer the best protection they can give their workers. They also offer safety warnings to their clients to help protect it’s staff. 

“When a letter carrier comes to your home, keep dogs:

• Inside the house or behind a fence;
• Away from the door or in another room; or
• On a leash.

Pet owners also should remind children not to take mail directly from a letter carrier as the dog may view the carrier as a threat to the child.” 

What Dogs Are Most Likely To Bite?

Most people know and love dogs. However, like any animal, there is always a possibility that an animal can bite. This list comes to us from the World Animal Foundation as well. 

1. Pit bulls
2. Rottweilers
3. German Shepherds
4. Doberman Pinschers
5. Bull Mastiff
6. Husky 
7. Malamutes
8. Wolf Hybrids
9. Boxers
10. Great Danes

And while this above list does not mean that these dogs are dangerous or aggressive. It just means out of dog bites that have happened in the United States, at some point or another, these dogs have been the ones.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © bbstudio_aad/iStock via Getty Images