Secure your dog, keep deliveries on track: June is USPS’s National Dog Bite Awareness month

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - The United States Postal Service (USPS) is kicking off a month-long campaign aimed at lowering the number of dogs bites that postal service workers get each year. According to USPS, last year more than 6,000 employees were bit by dogs. As part of the 2025 USPS National Dog Bite Awareness Campaign, the organization is offering crucial information on how dog owners can be good stewards for safe mail delivery and ensure the safety of its employees. 

The month-long campaign begins on Sunday, June 1, 2025. This year’s theme is “Secure Your Dog, Keep Deliveries on Track.”

"All dogs — regardless of breed, size or age — have the potential to bite,” said Leeann Theriault, USPS employee safety and health awareness manager. “Dog bite attacks on postal employees are preventable. The most important message for our customers to remember during the 2025 USPS National Dog Bite Awareness Campaign is keep your dog secured and away from the carrier as the mail is being delivered."

Here are some steps that dog owners can take to prevent dog bites.

1. Secure your dog before your carrier approaches. Most people know the approximate time their letter carrier arrives every day. Securing your dog before the carrier approaches your property will minimize any potentially dangerous interactions.
2. Don't take mail directly from carriers in front of a family pet. Parents should remind their children and other family members not to take mail directly, as the dog may view the person handing mail to a family member as a threatening gesture.
3. Sign up for USPS Informed Delivery and see the mail on your electronic device before it arrives. By using USPS Informed Delivery, a free service, customers can digitally preview incoming mail and packages from a computer, tablet or mobile device. This service can help dog owners anticipate when their carrier will arrive. Sign up here.
4. Know the cost of a dog attack. When a postal employee suffers an injury from a dog attack, it can cost the dog owner thousands of dollars because they could be responsible for medical bills, lost wages, uniform replacement costs, and pain and suffering for the employee.

Mail carriers are trained to know how to deliver mail safely when a dog is present. They are also taught to stand their ground and protect themselves if a dog does attack, including using dog repellent if necessary.

However, when a mail carriers feels unsafe, mail service can be stopped. Until the carrier feels safe enough to restart delivery, the mail will have to be picked up at the dog owner’s local post office. If a dangerous dog issue is not resolved, owners can be required to rent a post office box to receive mail. 

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