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Jacksonville ranks third in U.S. Postal Service dog bites

By Leslie Coursey, Action News Jax

USPS Dog Bite Rankings Jacksonville ranks third in Florida (Credit: USPS)

By Leslie Coursey, Action News Jax

Jacksonville, Fla. — The United States Postal Service has released dog bite rankings for Florida, and Jacksonville is near the top.

The rankings come as USPS kicks off its 2024 National Dog Bite Awareness Campaign.

According to a news release, there were 193 dog attacks on USPS employees in Florida in 2023.

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Here are the top five cities:

  1. Miami - 21 attacks
  2. St. Petersburg - 15 attacks
  3. Jacksonville - 10 attacks
  4. Orlando - 9 attacks
  5. Tampa - 6 attacks

Related: PCSO: No charges in case of mail carrier mauled by 5 dogs

The postal service hopes the campaign will encourage dog owners to be good stewards for safe mail delivery. It suggests securing your dog before the mail carrier approaches your property.

Pet owners should also remind children not to take mail directly from the carrier because the dog may view the carrier as a threat to the child.

Letter carriers are also taught to respect a dog’s territory.

Keep in mind, if a postal employee is hurt by your dog, you could be held responsible for medical bills, lost wages, uniform replacement costs, and pain and suffering.

“Letter carriers are exposed to potential hazards every day, none more prevalent than a canine encounter. All it takes is one interaction for a letter carrier to possibly suffer an injury,” Leeann Theriault, USPS Manager, said in a news release. “The U.S. Postal Service consistently encourages responsible pet ownership. The national dog bite campaign is an effort to promote dog bite awareness to keep our customers, their dogs, and letter carriers safe while delivering the mail.”

Related: Mail carrier dies after being attacked by 5 dogs in Interlachen, deputies say

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