MISSOULA — The U.S. Postal Service’s National Dog Bite Awareness Campaign is in full swing during the month of June, as incidents involving dog attacks on postal employees rose to more than 6,000 cases last year across the country.
This year’s theme is “Secure Your Dog, Keep Deliveries on Track,” highlighting the importance of responsible pet ownership to ensure mail carrier safety.
USPS officials say that while many people are dog lovers, few are dog experts. They emphasize that even dogs that have never shown signs of aggression can react in unexpected ways.
Missoula letter carrier Mike Fitzgerald says he’s never been bitten but has faced dangerous situations.
“There was one time I was delivering, and there were three dogs who had gotten out from someone’s backyard, and they were charging at me. I used the horn– that didn’t really work. I kind of backed two of them off, but another one wasn’t, and right where I was, I was sort of stuck between two fences. I ended up having to jump over a fence into a yard until the dog would finally head back to its own house,” Fitzgerald said.
Missoula Postmaster Jason Uskoski offers advice for dog owners to help keep mail carriers safe.
“One of the things is making sure that the dogs are even in an enclosed space inside their house. We have dogs that will go through glass windows to get to the carrier, or if you are out and about, making sure that your dog is chained up away from the fence, away from the mailbox, or if you have that dog that you’re kind of concerned about, moving your mailbox on the outside of your fence might be a good option for you to start with,” Uskoski said.
Fitzgerald says he has hree lines of defense when approaching homes with dogs; using his mail satchel as a barrier if a dog approaches, a dog horn to scare the dog, and dog spray.
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