I’ve always thought being a mail carrier would be a cool job - except when it comes to dealing with dogs.

You definitely want your dog to provide security for your home, whether it’s merely to alert you to the presence of a stranger or to act as a front line of defense. But for postal workers, dogs can be a real threat. So, it’s important to be mindful of the safety of your mail carrier in relation to your canine buddy.

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) released its annual list of cities with the most recorded dog attacks ahead of National Dog Bite Awareness Week, which kicks off June 14. Sadly, a whole lot of postal workers have been attacked here in Texas, with five cities ranked in the top 20 for dog attacks.

Houston had the most dog attacks in the U.S. with 85 in 2019. Dallas was ranked number 5 with 40, San Antonio was tied for 11th on the list with 28, Fort Worth came it at number 12 with 27, while El Paso is tied for 14th on the list with 25.

When it comes to states with the most dog attacks, California tops the list for the second straight year with 777, with Texas coming in a distant second with 491 attacks.

The good news is that the number of USPS employees attacked is down nationwide with 5,803 attacks, which is over 200 fewer than 2018 and more than 400 fewer than 2017. Let’s hope the downward trend continues.

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