LEXINGTON, Ky (LEX 18) Lexington letter carriers will be delivering a postcard with messages on it about how to keep people safe from dog attacks.
The Postal Service said that dog attack numbers were down last year. The mail carriers said that they believe this is because of their delivery scanners, where messages can be sent to warn other carriers about a dog in the yard.
"That scanner beeps, every house that he has put in that has a dog. Before they get to that house, it beeps, he knows to rattle his keychain, just be on the lookout for that dog," said Nathan Bowling with Lexington Fayette Animal Care.
One carrier, who was bitten by a dog, said that he tried to be friendly with everyone and every dog, but sometimes the dogs just don’t understand.
”It all happened so fast. That I had no chance to use my dog spray, didn’t even hear the dog come up behind me. It was just one of those situations," said letter carrier Jim Rice.
USPS asks that dog owners read the postcards that they are delivering to help prevent other attacks.
Lexington Fayette Animal Care and Control sent out these tips to help prevent dog attacks during mail delivery:
- Place your pet in a separate room and close the door before opening the door to receive mail
- Don’t allow your pet to roam outside of the home unleashed
- Avoid allowing children to be handed mail in your pet’s presence, as this may be seen as a threat
USPS also has the Package Pickup application on usps.com, which asks customers to indicate if there are dogs at their addresses when they schedule package pickups. This information is provided to carriers on their delivery scanners.
