USPS ranks Houston worst in nation for canine assaults on mail carriers: 'It is usually a ‘good dog’ that had not previously behaved in a menacing way'

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) released a list on Monday that places the City of Houston in an unenviable position. 

Houston NBC affiliate KPRC reported that Texas’ largest city leads in the nation in the number of canine attacks on its mail carriers with 57 incidents confirmed in fiscal year (FY) 2022, per the USPS’s yearly dog bite ranking.

The list was published at the beginning of what’s designated as National Dog Bite Awareness Week, which runs from Sunday through Saturday. 

Citing the USPS, KPRC reported that Houston, Dallas and San Antonio represent the Lone Star State on the ranking. 

Dallas, which is Texas’ third-largest city, recorded 44 dog attacks while San Antonio knotted with Phoenix and Kansas City with 32.

“When our mail carriers are bitten, it is usually a ‘good dog’ that had not previously behaved in a menacing way,” USPS Occupational Safety and Health Senior Director Linda DeCarlo said in the report from KPRC. 

The station showed that Texas ranked second behind California for total canine assaults on mail carriers in 2022, with the former registering 404 bites last year. 

Both states saw spikes from 2021.

Axios reported that USPS said more than 5,000 biting incidents took place nationwide in 2022. 

"When letter carriers deliver mail in our communities, dogs that are not secured or leashed can become a nemesis and unpredictable and attack," USPS employee safety and health awareness manager said in a statement obtained by the news website. 

According to Axios, the USPS urges homeowners to keep their dogs inside the house and away from the door, as well as have them wearing a leash.

An individual who suffers a canine bite can seek compensation citing negligence, according to The Carlson Law Firm in Killeen. 

The over 5,300 dog attacks on postal carriers that occurred last year are a part of the approximately 4.5 million that are reported across the U.S. during any given year, the law firm said, citing American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).