Kansas City is in the top 25 cities for dog attacks on postal workers, according to the U.S. Postal Service.
Nationally, there were 6,755 dog attacks on postal workers in 2016, which is 200 more than in 2015.
Los Angeles had the most dog attacks on mail carriers last year with 80.
Kansas City tied for 23rd with 30.
Jason Cunningham with USPS in KC spoke with 41 Action News Wednesday. He said dog attacks happen to his mail carriers far too often.
“All the time. I would say weekly, every couple weeks, especially in the summer time it becomes an issue,” he said.
Anne Paine, who has been delivering mail for USPS for nearly five years, was one of those dog attack victims after a large, aggressive Belgian Malinois jumped a fence and attacked her while on her old route.
"I didn't even have a chance to react,” she said. "He ended up grabbing my mail bag and ripped a hole in the bottom of it."
Paine said the incident happened near 75th and Paseo, an area she feels needs the most education regarding dog safety.
"Make sure they have a leash, they have something restraining them, and they're not just roaming free,” she said.
Paine limped away with a sprained knee. But not everyone else is so lucky.
According to the CDC, there are 4.5 million dog bites each year in the U.S., with hospital stays from the bites on the rise.
State Farm said it had a 15 percent uptick in claims last year from dog bites as well, paying over $1 billion from dog-related injury claims over the past decade.
Kristyn Savage is a dog trainer in KC who said that while aggression can be tamed in dogs with proper training, it’s also very important to look for warning signs of aggression early.
"[Look for] really stiff body posture when they see a stranger or guest or really hard stares, direct eye contact, a mouth pulled tightly closed -- those are things to look for,” said the co-owner of Beyond The Dog.
It’s important to know that if your dog attacks a mail carrier, USPS can cancel mail service to your home.
USPS has these tips for dog owners when the mail carrier arrives:
- Put dogs in a back room, away from the front door, if possible.
- Allow the mail carrier to deliver mail to your box, not by hand. Some dogs can see the delivery as a threat.
- Register on USPS.com for a parcel pickup and tell them you have a dog. Your mail carrier will then be automatically alerted of your dog each time he or she approaches your home.
Savage also told 41 Action News to never runaway or turn your back on an aggressive dog.
April 9-15 is National Dog Bite Prevention Week. Dogs bite 4.5 million Americans annually; half of them are children.
More info on dog attack statistics can be found at DogsBite.org.
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Josh Helmuth can be reached at josh.helmuth@kshb.com
