ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Dog attacks on postal workers in New Mexico nearly doubled in 2023 compared to incidents in 2022, according to the U.S. Postal Service.
There were 45 postal employees throughout New Mexico who were attacked by dogs in 2023, which is an increase from 24 in 2022. In Albuquerque, dog attacks on workers rose to 26 in 2023, compared to 14 in 2022.
Across the country, there were more than 5,800 dog attacks on postal workers last year. The U.S. Postal Service ranked the top 20 cities and top 10 states in the country for those types of incidents. Albuquerque made the top 20 ranking.
The top three states for dog attacks on letter carriers in 2023 were California, Texas, and Ohio, according to U.S. Postal Service data. A list of the top 10 states can be found below:
The U.S. Postal Service shared this data as part of its National Dog Bite Awareness Campaign, which started on June 2 and runs through June 9. “Letter carriers are exposed to potential hazards every day, none more prevalent than a canine encounter. All it takes is one interaction for a letter carrier to possibly suffer an injury,” Leeann Theriault, USPS manager, Employee Safety and Health Awareness, said in a news release.
USPS also shared the following information about how dog owners can help with safe mail delivery:
Secure your dog before the carrier approaches your property
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.
Do not allow children to take mail directly from a letter carrier, as the dog may view the carrier as a threat to the child.
Albuquerque letter carrier Dee Dee Molina told KRQE News 13 that postal workers have the right to not deliver mail if they feel unsafe. “When a dog is loose, maybe even though they’re in an enclosed yard, we see a loose dog, we’re unable to deliver your mail, and we’ll have to bring it back and either the customer has to pick it up here at the station, or we’ll just redeliver the next day,” said Molina.
“So I just again, just want the public to know that I know there’s a lot of good dogs out there, but every good dog has a bad day, it could” Molina continued. “So you know, help us help you by, you know, securing your dog and allowing us to deliver the mail and packages safely.”
The USPS said if an employee is injured by a dog attack, the owner could be responsible for medical bills, lost wages, uniform replacement costs, and pain and suffering for the employee.
For more information on the USPS campaign, click here.
