Fewer Mail Carriers Bit By Dogs But Pet Owners Feel Bites Too

SARASOTA, FL — Fewer mail carriers were bit by dogs last year than in previous years but pet owners are feeling those bites too in the form of legal settlements, according to the U.S. Postal Service.

The agency reported the number of mail carriers attacked by dogs nationwide fell to 5,803 in 2019 — some 200 fewer than in 2018 and more than 400 fewer since 2017. But the average cost of each settlement for pet owners is $37,051.

"The owner could be responsible for medical bills, lost wages, uniform replacement costs, pain and suffering, lifelong issues like physical disfigurement and costs relating to loss of quality of life depending on how serious the attack," according to the agency.

Houston led the nation with 85 dog bites last year followed by Los Angeles with 74, Chicago with 54, Cleveland with 51 and Dallas with 40.

Columbus, Ohio ranked sixth with 35 bites followed by Philadelphia with 34, Toledo with 32, Denver with 30 and San Diego with 29.

In Florida, Jacksonville led the state with 21 dog bites (ranked 25th nationally) followed by Miami with 19 (31st nationally), St. Petersburg with 12 (57th nationally), Tampa with eight (91st nationally) and Pompano Beach with six (126th nationally).

Dog incidents are considered a third-party claim between the dog owner and the mail carrier though the agency acts on behalf of employees who do not hire their own attorney.

"If a dog is roaming the neighborhood unrestrained and the carrier feels unsafe, mail will have to be picked up at the local Post Office until the area is deemed safe again," the agency warned.

In South Florida, which includes nine counties (Broward, Glades, Hendry, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Okeechobee, Palm Beach and St.Lucie), 74 carriers were attacked between Oct. 1 2018 and Sept. 30, 2019 with an additional 38 incidents reported between Oct. 1 and mid June.

“During this difficult time, our letter carriers are delivering mail and they need to do it safely,” Acting South Florida District Manager Juan Gonzalez said of the incidents. “We can continue to move the number of dog attacks downward by increasing awareness.”

The handheld scanners carried by the agency's 80,000 mail carriers now include a feature to indicate the presence of a dog at a certain address, and delivery alerts allow customers to secure their dogs before carriers arrive.

Here's how Florida cities ranked last year in terms of dog bites throughout the state:

1. Jacksonville 21
2. Miami 19
3. St Petersburg 12
4. Tampa 8
5. Pompano Beach 6
6. Clearwater 5
7. Ft Lauderdale 5
8. West Palm Beach 5
9. Saint Petersburg 4
10. Atlantic Beach 3
11. Boca Raton 3
12. Gainesville 3
13. Hialeah 3
14. Hollywood 3
15. Lake Worth 3
16. Melbourne 3
17. Oakland Park 3
18. Opa Locka 3
19. Palm Coast 3
20. Quincy 3
21. Starke 3
22. Wellington 3
23. Defuniak Springs 2
24. Deland 2
25. Fort Lauderdale 2
26. Ft Myers 2
27. Inverness 2
28. Key West 2
29. Merritt Island 2
30. Naples 2
31. Ocala 2
32. Orlando 2
33. Palatka 2
34. Palm Beach Gardens 2
35. Pembroke Pines 2
36. Pinellas Park 2
37. Plant City 2
38. Port St Lucie 2
39. Punta Gorda 2
40. Riverview 2
41. Royal Palm Beach 2
42. St Augustine 2
43. Tallahassee 2
44. Altamonte Springs 1
45. Altha 1
46. Apopka 1
47. Arcadia 1
48. Astor 1
49. Baker 1
50. Boynton Beach 1
51. Bradenton 1
52. Brandon 1
53. Brooksville 1
54. Cape Canaveral 1
55. Chipley 1
56. Clermont 1
57. Cocoa Beach 1
58. Coral Springs 1
59. Cottondale 1
60. Crawfordville 1
61. Dade City 1
62. Davie 1
63. Destin 1
64. Dunnellon 1
65. Englewood 1
66. Fort Myers 1
67. Fruitland Park 1
68. Ft Pierce 1
69. Green Cove Springs 1
70. Groveland 1
71. Hallandale Beach 1
72. Hilliard 1
73. Key Largo 1
74. Kissimmee 1
75. Lake Butler 1
76. Largo 1
77. Lehigh Acres 1
78. Loxahatchee 1
79. Lutz 1
80. Maitland 1
81. Miami Beach 1
82. Midway 1
83. Milton 1
84. Miramar 1
85. Molino 1
86. Mulberry 1
87. New Port Richey 1
88. New Smyrna Beach 1
89. Ocklawaha 1
90. Ormond Beach 1
91. Palm Bay 1
92. Panama City 1
93. Pensacola 1
94. Plantation 1
95. Port Charlotte 1
96. Port Orange 1
97. Riviera Beach 1
98. Sarasota 1
99. Spring Hill 1
100. St Pete Beach 1
101. Stuart 1
102. Sun City Center 1
103. Trenton 1
104. Vero Beach 1
105. Weirsdale 1
106. Winter Haven 1