National Dog Bite Awareness Week: Fort Lauderdale Carrier Shares Tips

Fort Lauderdale Main Office Carrier Annex Letter Carrier Aitanga Irish displays her dog repellent and PS Form 1778, "Dog Warning Card." 
Photo: Fort Lauderdale Customer Relations Coordinator Edwin Vivas

Dogs may be our best friends, but they still are animals, and they can bite. In fact, dogs bite about 4.7 million Americans every year, half of them children between ages five and nine. One out of every five of those bites causes an injury that requires medical attention, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

In Fort Lauderdale City and the 25 stations and branches that report to the Postmaster had eight employees attacked by dogs in Fiscal Year 2019. There have been six dog bites recorded the first eight months of Fiscal Year 2020.

Fort Lauderdale Main Office Carrier Annex City Carrier Aitanga Irish attributes her “dog-bite free” safety record to keeping handy dog spray repellent and using PS Form 1778, “Dog Warning Card” to inform other carriers of dangerous animals on her route.

Irish also asks that her customers place their dog in a separate room and close that door before they open the front door.

“Some dogs burst through screen doors or plate-glass windows to attack visitors, including carriers,” said English.” Dog owners need to be responsible and keep the family pet secured.”

In addition, Irish asks that parents remind their children and other family members not to take mail directly from carriers in the presence of the family pet.

“The dog may view the person handing mail to a family member as a threatening gesture,” said Irish. “Overall, if you have a dog, you need to be a responsible pet owner.”