![\"\"](\"http:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/K_dog_bites1-300x108.jpg\" "\\"K_dog_bites1\\"")
<\/a>The U.S. Postal Service continues its tradition of calling attention to one of the nation\u2019s most commonly reported public health problems:\u00a0 dog attacks and bites.\u00a0 Dog bites can range from a relatively painless nip to a fatal mauling.<\/p>\nSponsored by the U.S. Postal Service, National Dog Bite Prevention Week May 19-25 is a public service campaign that offers safety tips and emphasizes the need for increased pet owner responsibility in the prevention of dog attacks.\u00a0 Last year, nearly 5,600 Postal Service\u2122 employees were victimized by dogs.<\/p>\n
For decades, the U.S. Postal Service has taken a leadership role in preventing animal attacks because letter carriers are the third most likely group to be bitten by a dog.\u00a0 Children and the elderly rank number one and two, respectively.\u00a0 Most people think children and dogs go together naturally, and they often do, but it may shock you to learn that children are victims of dog bites.<\/p>\n
Here are some facts and figures related to dog bites and attacks:<\/p>\n
More than 4.5 million people are attacked annually.<\/p>\n
Children are the majority of victims.<\/p>\n
Dog attacks are the most commonly reported childhood public health problem in the United States.<\/p>\n
The number of dog attacks exceeds the reported instances of measles, whooping cough, mumps, combined.<\/p>\n
Many of the recordable bites came from dogs whose owners used those famous last words \u201cmy dog won\u2019t bite.\u201d<\/p>\n
How to avoid being bitten:<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t run past a dog.\u00a0 The dog\u2019s natural instinct is to chase and catch prey.<\/p>\n
If a dog threatens you, don\u2019t scream.\u00a0 Avoid eye contact.\u00a0 Try to remain motionless until the dog leaves, and then back away slowly until the dog is out of sight.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t approach a strange dog, especially one that\u2019s tethered or confined.<\/p>\n
If you believe a dog is about to attack you, try to place something between yourself and the dog, such as a backpack or a bicycle.<\/p>\n
How to be a responsible dog owner:<\/p>\n
Obedience training can teach dogs proper behavior and help owners control their dog in any situation.<\/p>\n
When the letter carrier comes to your home, keep your dog inside, away from the door, in another room, or on a leash.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t let your child take mail from the letter carrier in the presence of your dog.\u00a0 Your dog\u2019s instinct is to protect the family.<\/p>\n
Spay or neuter your dog.\u00a0 Neutered dogs are less likely to bite.<\/p>\n
Dogs that haven\u2019t been properly socialized, receive little attention or handling, or are left tied up for long periods of time frequently turn into biters.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Debra J. Mitchell \u2013 United States Postal Service Special to the Gazette\u00a0 May 19 – 25 is Dog Bite Prevention Week The U.S. Postal Service continues its tradition of… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[100],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8075"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8075"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8075\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/K_dog_bites1.jpg\" "\\"K_dog_bites1\\"")
<\/a>The U.S. Postal Service continues its tradition of calling attention to one of the nation\u2019s most commonly reported public health problems:\u00a0 dog attacks and bites.\u00a0 Dog bites can range from a relatively painless nip to a fatal mauling.<\/p>\n