12:58 PM CDT on Monday, May 22, 2006

From 11 News Staff Reports

Letter carriers' dog attacks detailed

Letter carriers with the Houston Post Office lined up Monday to show their dog bite scars, as “Dog Bite Awareness Week” kicked off.

KHOU-TV

Houston postal carrier Phyllis Buck was recently attacked by three dogs.

Postmaster Gwen Green and other officials spoke about the problem of dog bites in the community and gave tips for preventing future attacks at a Monday morning news conference.

The postal service is encouraging residents to always keep a closed door or gate between their pets and letter carriers.

The experiences of letter carriers who have experienced the needless pain and suffering of injuries from unrestrained dogs were detailed. 

More than 3,200 letter carriers were attacked or bitten by dogs last year and more than 2 million children were needlessly victimized by dogs.

The owners of many dogs involved in the attacks believed their pet would never bite.

The U.S. Postal Service and its letter carriers are working to prevent those painful, sometimes fatal, injuries by promoting community awareness and responsible pet ownership.

The Houston District, which includes ZIP Codes 770-778, recorded more letter carrier dog bites than any postal district in the nation between October 2004 and September 2005, with 108 dog bites.

So far this fiscal year through April, 2006, a total of 31 dog bites have been suffered by letter carriers in the city of Houston, already eclipsing the total recorded for the same period last fiscal year by seven incidents.

Letter carriers in the city of Houston also ranked first in the nation in dog bites for four straight years, beginning in fiscal year 1997 through 2000.  Houston city regained this unwanted title in fiscal year 2005.