Every June, the United States Postal Service asks Americans to do one simple thing: secure your dog before the mail arrives. It's a message born of hard numbers — and, for many letter carriers, hard experience.
June marks the post office’s National Dog Bite Awareness Month and Scott Miller, Occupational Safety and Health Awareness Specialist with the United State Post Office, says this awareness campaign is not only for their employees but for their customers as well.
Dog attacks on mail carriers are not a new phenomenon. The Postal Service has tracked the data for decades and has run its public awareness campaign annually since the 1990s. For most of that time, the numbers kept climbing.
At their peak in 2024, dog attacks on postal workers reached a seven-year high, with more than 6,000 incidents recorded nationwide — up 5 percent from the year before and 15 percent from 2022.
The pandemic years made things worse. When e-commerce surged and families stayed home, more packages were delivered directly to residences — and more people, including children, were opening doors with pets nearby.
But there are signs the tide may be turning. In 2025, the number of attacks dropped to just over 5,200 — a meaningful decline from the prior year's record high. Miller pointed to that shift with cautious optimism.
"We actually decreased over the country from 6,000 dog bites to 5,200 the last year," he said. "So that is reversing a trend that was going up, up and up. And so we went down a little bit. So we hope to keep that momentum going."
The behavior is rooted in animal instinct, Miller explained. Dogs are territorial by nature, and a uniformed stranger arriving at the same time every day — then leaving — can register as a persistent, unresolved threat.
"Dogs perceive the mail carrier sometimes as an intruder or invading their space," he said, "and the dog is there to protect their family."
When a carrier must enter a fenced yard or approach a property where a dog may be present, USPS protocol is deliberate and methodical.
"We recommend them making noise at first — rattle your keys or shake the fence — just to see if the area is clear to proceed," Miller said.
If a dog does charge, carriers are trained never to run. "Stand your ground and face a dog," Miller said. "We always tell our carriers to carry their satchel and their dog spray with them."
The satchel becomes a tool — a physical barrier placed between the carrier and the animal. "We tell them to use the barrier technique, which is to keep the mail satchel between you and the dog and back away slowly," Miller said. "And be careful while you're backing away not to stumble over anything."
Running, he noted, often makes things worse. "We do have incidents that do occur where as the carrier is trying to get away, they turn, run, stumble, fall and hurt themselves."
Dog repellent spray is available as a last resort, but the agency's preference is always prevention.
Miller was clear that the most effective safety measure doesn't happen on the carrier's end — it happens at home.
"The best way to keep safe from dog bites and attacks is to recognize and promote responsible pet ownership," he said. That means teaching dogs appropriate commands, not allowing them to roam freely, and — critically — securing pets in a separate room before opening the door for a delivery.
He flagged one hazard that catches people off guard: "Some dogs do have the ability to get through screen doors and some even jump through windows, especially now that kids are out of school in summertime and doors might not be latched fully."
One old folk remedy — leaving dog biscuits with the carrier — is actually discouraged by USPS. The logic is subtle but sound: carriers rotate, take days off, and get replaced by substitutes who won't know the dog or the treat routine.
"That dog may be looking for that treat that day," Miller said, "and unfortunately, the mailman is the only thing that they see.
And that might increase the propensity for a bite or attack."
Miller highlighted a free USPS service called Informed Delivery, available at usps.com, that allows customers to preview incoming mail and packages each day.
Knowing a package is on the way gives households a heads-up to secure their pet before the carrier arrives.
"You can be prepared," Miller said. "You can put your dog in another room or you can secure that dog so that we do have a safe encounter out there while we're doing your delivery."
The 2026 USPS National Dog Bite Awareness Campaign runs throughout June. Dog owners can find safety tips, responsible pet ownership resources, and campaign information at usps.com and across the agency's social media channels by searching #dogbiteawareness.