USPS asks dog owners to be aware of attacks

The United States Postal Service said summer is prime time for dog attacks on mail carriers.

The service reported that there were more than 5,500 carriers nationwide were bitten by dogs, 15 of which were in Idaho. USPS Manager Rory Scott is in charge of the Idaho Falls Eagle Rock Station. He said this is a problem that can be easily avoided.

“If you own a dog, just keep it confined in the backyard or in the house so the letter carrier can just go up and deliver the mail and there won’t be an issue,” said Scott.

Mail carrier David Duncan has been delivering mail in the area for more than a decade. He said he has had his fair share of dog bites.

“They can sneak up on you and scare the living you know what out of you,” said Duncan. “I’ve been bitten in the calf, arm, hand.”

Mail carriers have been trained to pass any house that has an unleashed dog. They will not deliver mail to a home with a vicious dog; instead, they send a notice to the home. In cases where the problem has been recurring, the service said they have had to call animal control.