More Letter Carriers Suffer Dog Bites in L.A. Than Anywhere Else in the Nation

Los Angeles letter carriers suffered more dog bites last year than anywhere else in the nation, according to rankings released Wednesday by the U.S. Postal Service. 

"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," said Ken Snavely, acting postmaster of Los Angeles, where 69 postal employees were attacked in 2012.

Nationwide, 5,879 postal employees were attacked.

Here's the U.S. Postal Service list where the most postal workers have been attacked by dogs:

1) Los Angeles—69 attacks on postal workers
2) San Antonio and Seattle—42 attacks apiece
3) Chicago—41 attacks
4) San Francisco—38 attacks
5) Philadelphia—34 attacks
6) Detroit—33 attacks
7) St. Louis—32 attacks
8) Baltimore and Sacramento—29 attacks apiece
9) Houston and Minneapolis—27 attacks apiece
10) Cleveland and Dayton—26 attacks apiece
11) Buffalo and Brooklyn—24 attacks apiece
12) Denver—23 attacks
13) Dallas and Tacoma—21 attacks apiece
14) Wichita—20 attacks

National Dog Bite Prevention Week is May 19-25, and Postmaster Snavely urges that when letter carriers come to a customer's door, pet owners place dogs in a separate room and close the door, as many canines have been known to jump through screen and glass doors.

"Many dogs are cherished members of their family and people believe their dog won't bite, but given the right circumstances, any dog can attack," said Snavely. "Dogs do not reason like people do and they will react to their instinct to protect their family and territory."