Dog attacks on USPS workers rose last year. See cities with most attacks.
Incidents involving dog attacks against U.S. Postal Service workers rose to more than 6,000 cases last year — a jump of at least 200 cases since 2023, the USPS said.
California saw the greatest number of incidents involving dog attacks, with 701 in 2024. Texas ranked second with 438 incidents, followed by Ohio with 350 incidents, the USPS said in a news release Thursday.
Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Florida, Missouri and North Carolina rounded out the top 10 states with the most dog incidents.
Here are the top 10 U.S. cities for dog attacks in 2024, according to the USPS, and the number of incidents in each city:
Los Angeles — 77Houston — 65Chicago — 57St. Louis — 47Cincinnati — 44Dallas — 43Kansas City — 40Cleveland — 40San Diego — 35Denver — 34
Dog owners might not realize their animals can attack a postal worker, but there are steps owners can take to ensure the safety of a carrier and that their mail won't be stopped, the USPS said.
"Dog bite attacks on postal employees are preventable," Leeann Theriault, USPS employee safety and health awareness manager, said in the USPS news release, during a promotional week to raise awareness around such incidents.
"The best way to keep safe from dog attacks is to recognize and promote the responsibility of pet ownership, such as teaching your dog appropriate behavior and commands and not allowing your dog to roam freely," Theriault said.
The USPS recommends securing dogs before the mail carrier arrives, as mail is generally delivered at a similar time every day, or keeping a dog secured on a leash if it is outside when a carrier arrives. It also says children should not take mail directly from a carrier, because the dog may view the person as a threat to the child.
A postal worker from Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, strongly encourages all dog owners to take precautions.
"I was recently delivering mail and a dog barged through a door and bit me on the wrist, which required me to seek medical treatment," Jonah Helfrich said in the USPS news release.
Biden makes first public remarks since cancer diagnosis announcement
Sean "Diddy" Combs' former assistant alleges he threatened to kill her multiple times
No word from Hamas on Israeli-backed ceasefire proposal
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Popular Kids Entertainer Says She'll Risk Her Career To Stand Up For Children In Gaza
A modern-day Mr. Rogers is not backing down. Ms. Rachel, an extremely popular YouTuber whom toddlers may adore even more than chicken nuggets and bubbles, told NPR's 'Here and Now' Tuesday that she's willing to risk her career to advocate for children in Gaza. 'I wouldn't be Ms. Rachel if I didn't deeply care about all kids,' she told the outlet. 'And I would risk everything, and I will risk my career over and over to stand up for them. It's all about the kids for me.' There's quite a bit at stake. Ms. Rachel, whose full name is Rachel Accurso, has over 15 million subscribers on her YouTube channel, where kiddos tune in to watch the chipper children's educator teach and sing in her trademark overalls and pink headband. She has a Netflix deal where episodes of her interactive teaching program are available with subtitles in 33 languages. She's also got a toy chest's worth of merch. Accurso first made her stance about kids in Gaza public in May 2024, when she announced a fundraiser for children in Gaza and other war zones. Since then, she's consistently drawn attention to the tragedy in the territory — but last month, she seemed to hit a nerve. On May 21, she posted a video to her social media accounts in which she sang her popular song 'Hop Little Bunnies' while a 3-year-old girl from Gaza named Rahaf, who lost her legs in an airstrike, danced beside her. In response to the video, the pro-Israel group StopAntisemitism — which the Guardian says 'doxes people it deems antisemitic' — wrote a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi calling on her to investigate Ms. Rachel for being 'remunerated to disseminate Hamas-aligned propaganda to her millions of followers.' Ms. Rachel admitted to NPR that she finds the pushback 'painful,' but has continued her advocacy. 'It's really painful. And I have to remind myself that people don't know my heart, and people try to tell you who you are, but you know who you are,' she said. 'And I know how deeply and equally I care for all children, and I do lean on my faith in that situation.' She doubled down on her stance on Tuesday with a statement on social media. 'I stand against all forms of hate and violence — including antisemitism, anti-Palestinian hate, anti-Arab hate, anti-Muslim hate and all hate meant to divide us and cause harm rather than bring us together,' she wrote. 'Every child, person and every family deserves to feel valued, loved and safe.' She continued, 'Let's continue to model empathy, compassion and teach our children that we are all connected.' 'When we hate, deny people human rights and attack each other, we all suffer,' she concluded. 'When we love, respect all people's human rights and show compassion, we all thrive. We all rise.' Ms. Rachel also illustrated on Tuesday how her advocacy extends to every child by posting an Instagram Story in support of the Jewish community after a man attacked a peaceful protest calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Boulder, Colorado, on Sunday. 'Our hearts are with the Boulder Jewish Community and everyone impacted by this horrendous violence,' she wrote. Israeli Forces Kill At Least 27 People On Their Way To Aid Site In Gaza 'Indiscriminate, Unrestrained, Brutal': Former Israeli PM Calls Gaza Assault 'War Crimes' Israel's Latest Strikes In Gaza Kill 38 People Including Children
USA Today
35 minutes ago
- USA Today
Boulder attack suspect's wife, 5 children detained by ICE, face deportation: Live updates
Boulder attack suspect's wife, 5 children detained by ICE, face deportation: Live updates Police say Mohamed Sabry Soliman arrived at the scene Sunday with 18 Molotov cocktails but threw just two while yelling 'Free Palestine." Show Caption Hide Caption Family of man suspected of Boulder attacker detained by ICE ICE agents detained the wife and children of the man suspected of a fiery attack on pro-Israeli marchers in Boulder, Colorado. Soliman is accused of attacking a weekly pro-Israeli "Run for Their Lives" demonstration on Sunday. Twelve people ages 52 to 88, suffered burns ranging from serious to minor, police said. The wife and five children of the suspect in the fiery assault on pro-Jewish demonstrators in Boulder, Colorado, have been detained by immigration officials and are facing immediate deportation, Trump administration officials said Tuesday. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed in a social media post that Mohamed Sabry Soliman's family members are in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. "This terrorist will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,'' Noem said on the X platform. "We are investigating to what extent his family knew about this heinous attack, if they had knowledge of it, or if they provided support to it.'' FBI and police officials said Monday the family has cooperated with investigators. Nonetheless, the White House said on X later Tuesday the relatives "COULD BE DEPORTED AS EARLY AS TONIGHT.'' Officials have not clarified their immigration status. Soliman, a native of Egypt who lives in Colorado Springs, is accused of attacking a weekly "Run for Their Lives" demonstration on Sunday. Twelve people ages 52 to 88 suffered burns ranging from serious to minor, police said. Two remain hospitalized. Soliman, 45, came to the U.S. on a tourist visa in late 2022 and stayed after the visa expired, requesting asylum. His daughter, Habiba Soliman, graduated from high school with honors on May 29 and said she saw the family's move to the U.S. as a chance to fulfill her dream of attending medical school. 12 burned in Boulder attack: Suspect charged with federal hate crime Soliman told investigators he did not complete his attack plan 'because he got scared and had never hurt anyone before,' according to a police affidavit. He said "he wanted them to all die ... He said he would go back and do it again and had no regret doing what he did," Boulder Detective John Sailer wrote in court papers. Soliman explained that, to him, anyone who supported the existence of Israel on "our land" is Zionist. He defined "our land" as Palestine, the affidavit said. Soliman arrived at the scene Sunday with 18 Molotov cocktails but threw just two while yelling 'Free Palestine,' according to the affidavit. Soliman told authorities he took a class and learned to shoot a gun while planning the attack − only to find out he could not purchase a gun because he was not a U.S. citizen. He said he then taught himself how to make Molotov cocktails from YouTube videos, the affidavit says. He told authorities no one else knew of his plan but that he did leave a journal with his family. A federal affidavit charging Soliman with a hate crime and attempted murder says he learned about the demonstration from an online search. It says Soliman told investigators he planned the attack for a year and waited for Habiba to graduate from high school before executing it. Habiba Soliman was profiled in an April story published in the Colorado Springs Gazette as one of its "Best and Brightest" senior class scholarship winners. Habiba told the paper she arrived in the United States as a high school sophomore speaking little English. She attended Thomas Maclaren School, a K-12 charter school, where she not only worked on her English but signed up to learn German as her foreign language requirement. She also started an Arabic club. Habiba was born in Egypt but lived in Kuwait for 14 years. Because she was not Kuwaiti, attending medical school there as she wanted was not an option, she said. The move to the United States provided a chance to fulfill her dream, she said. 'Coming to the USA has fundamentally changed me,' she said. 'I learned to adapt to new things even if it was hard. I learned to work under pressure and improve rapidly in a very short amount of time. Most importantly, I came to appreciate that family is the unchanging support.' The Boulder Jewish Community will host a vigil Wednesday afternoon, according to the Mountain States office of the Anti-Defamation League, which combats antisemitism. "In moments like these, our strength is in our unity,'' the organization said in an e-mail. The ADL also said the Boulder Jewish Festival will take place as scheduled Sunday, but with changes meant to acknowledge the reality of the weekend attack and provide a healing environment. "Based on the fact that Run for Their Lives was targeted, we want to center this event in furtherance of their cause, which is to bring awareness to the Israeli hostages still held in Gaza, while making space to recognize the victims in our community,'' the ADL said. Soliman is a native Egyptian who entered the United States in late 2022 on a tourist visa. He later requested asylum and remained in the country after his visa expired in February 2023. He, his wife and their children lived in Colorado Springs, about 100 miles south of Boulder. Soliman worked as an Uber driver, the company confirmed. He drove to Boulder to attack the demonstrators three days after Habiba's graduation, according to investigators. Unable to purchase a gun, Soliman told investigators he turned to gasoline, glass bottles and a backpack sprayer often used by landscapers to dispense pesticide or fertilizer. Soliman told investigators he stopped several times on his drive from Colorado Springs to buy bottles for the Molotov cocktails, the 87-octane gas to fill them and to Home Depot to buy flowers as camouflage to make it easier to "get as close as possible to the group." − Trevor Hughes Run for Their Lives, the organization whose members were targeted Sunday, seems a curious choice for an attack. The group, which said it has an active presence in 230 locations worldwide, doesn't advocate for a political agenda but rather for the release of hostages held in Gaza since the brutal assault on Israeli border communities led by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023. Participants meet once a week to walk or run a one-kilometer route − .62 of a mile − to raise awareness about the hostages' plight, which continues nearly 20 months after the Israel-Hamas war started. Of the 58 captives still believed to be in Gaza, 35 have been confirmed dead and another three are in grave health, the Times of Israel reported. "Focus on humanity,'' the Run for Their Lives website says. "This is about innocent children, women, the elderly, and other civilians being held by terrorists − not about the war.'' Todd Lyons, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said the immigration story of Soliman is far from unique. "There are millions of individuals like this that we are attempting to locate from the past administration that weren't properly screened that were allowed in," Lyons said. President Donald Trump, in a social media post Monday, called Sunday's attack "yet another example of why we must keep our Borders SECURE, and deport Illegal, Anti-American Radicals from our Homeland." Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed Trump in his own post, warning that "in light of yesterday's horrific attack, all terrorists, their family members, and terrorist sympathizers here on a visa should know that under the Trump administration we will find you, revoke your visa, and deport you." Soliman appeared in court on Monday and was ordered held on $10 million bond. He is due back in court Thursday. The suspect faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if found guilty on the federal hate crime charge because he was also charged with attempted-murder in state court. Soliman also faces state charges including 16 counts of attempted murder and 18 counts of possession of incendiary devices and related offenses. The attempted-murder counts alone are punishable by up to 384 years in prison, Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said. More federal and/or state charges could be added later, authorities said. Boulder has borne the pain of a mass attack before. In 2021, a gunman killed 10 people during a rampage at a supermarket. Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 25, was convicted in September of 10 counts of murder and related charges. On March 22, 2021, Alissa opened fire at King Soopers grocery store, killing two people in the parking lot and eight people in the store. Alissa pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but he was found competent to stand trial in 2023 after spending time at a mental hospital. Defense attorney Kathryn Herold said during her closing argument that the shooting was "born out of disease, not choice. ... Mr. Alissa committed these crimes because he was psychotic and delusional." Prosecutors said Alissa was able to distinguish right from wrong, that he was deliberate and calculated in his actions during the shooting and he hunted down his victims in an attempt to kill as many people as possible. Contributing: Reuters A chilling portrait: FBI says suspect planned his antisemitic attack for a year
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Syria says Israeli attack on Deraa causes ‘significant' losses
Syria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned an Israeli strike on the Syrian province of Deraa, saying that it caused 'significant human and material losses', the state news agency SANA reports. The strike came after the Israeli military said that two projectiles had crossed from Syria towards Israel on Tuesday, and fell in open areas, though the Syrian Foreign Ministry said these were 'reports that have not been verified yet'. The ministry reiterated that Syria has not and would not pose a threat to any party in the region. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the projectiles. 'We believe that there are many parties that may seek to destabilise the region to achieve their own interests,' the ministry added. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said he held Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa responsible for the projectiles. 'We consider the president of Syria directly responsible for any threat and fire towards the State of Israel, and a full response will come soon,' Katz said. Syria and Israel have recently engaged in indirect talks to ease tensions, a significant development in relations between states that have been on opposite sides of the conflict in the Middle East for decades. Several Arab and Palestinian media outlets circulated a claim of responsibility from a little-known group named the Muhammad Deif Brigades, an apparent reference to Hamas's military leader who was killed in an Israeli strike in 2024. The statement from the group could not be independently Israeli army said it attacked southern Syria with artillery fire after the projectiles launched at Israel. Residents said that Israeli mortars were striking the Wadi Yarmouk area, west of Deraa province, near the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The area has witnessed increased tensions in recent weeks, including reported Israeli military incursions into nearby villages, where residents have reportedly been barred from sowing their crops. Israel has waged a campaign of aerial bombardment that has destroyed much of Syria's military infrastructure. It has occupied the Syrian Golan Heights since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and taken more territory in the aftermath of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's removal in December, citing lingering concerns over the past of the country's new government. Around the same time that Israel reported the projectiles from Syria, the Israeli military said it intercepted a missile from Yemen. Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said they targeted Israel's Jaffa with a ballistic missile. The group has been launching attacks against Israel in what they say is in support of Palestinians during the Israeli war in Gaza.
