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Virginia ranks in top 10 states with dog bites in U.S. Postal Service dog attack ranking report

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Posted at 1:09 PM, Jun 11, 2021
and last updated 2021-06-11 13:09:01-04

The U.S. Postal Service has released their dog attack national rankings.

The stats showed that more than 5,800 postal employees were attacked by dogs in the United States in 2020.

The USPS said, "From nips and bites to vicious attacks, aggressive dog behavior poses a serious threat to postal employees and the general public. To highlight the enormity of this serious issue, the U.S. Postal Service is providing the public with information on the do’s and don’ts of responsible dog ownership as part of its annual National Dog Bite Awareness Week public service campaign."

The campaign will start Saturday, June 12 and run through Friday, June 18. This year’s theme is “Be Aware: Any Dog Can Bite.”

Information from the U.S. Postal Service for pet owners on preventing the bite:

  • Remind their children not to take mail directly from a letter carrier as the dog may view the carrier as a threat.
  • When a letter carrier comes to the home, keep dogs:
    • Inside the house or behind a fence
    • Away from the door or in another room
    • On a leash

More than 5,800 USPS employees were attacked by dogs in 2020. In Virginia, Richmond and Arlington made the 2020 top 25 Dog Attack Rankings by City and Virginia made the top 10 states with dog bites.

The top 25 rankings comprise 47 cities, as some cities reported the same number of attacks:

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You can spread the news of the campaign by using the hashtag #dogbiteawareness.