Latest news with #JonahHelfrich
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
U.S. Postal Service releases national dog bite rankings
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – The United States Post Office kicked off its 2025 USPS National Dog Bite Awareness Campaign releasing its findings on dog bites nationally, with Oklahoma claiming the number 26 spot. Post Office officials say dog attacks on employees are up more than 6,000 cases since 2024. The National Dog Bite Awareness Campaign offers dog-friendly information for dog owners, ensuring safe mail delivery for their employees. This year's campaign theme 'Secure Your Dog, Keep Deliveries on Track' focuses on promoting pet ownership. '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. All dogs — regardless of breed, size or age — have the potential to bite,' said Leeann Theriault, USPS employee safety and health awareness manager. 'Dog bite attacks on postal employees are preventable. The most important message for our customers to remember during the 2025 USPS National Dog Bite Awareness Campaign is keep your dog secured and away from the carrier as the mail is being delivered. Help ensure the safety of everyone in our communities.' USDA announces $1 billion relief to livestock producers impacted by disasters According to USPS, the cost of a dog attack can range up into the thousands for dog owners due to responsibilities for medical bills, lost wages, uniform replacement, and pain and suffering. 'Customers may not consider their dog a danger to others, however, to a letter carrier like me, all dogs can be considered a threat when delivering the mail,' said Jonah Helfrich, a Blue Bell, PA, letter carrier. '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. I strongly encourage all dog owners to take precautions to make sure their dog is secure when mail is being delivered.' Dog owners could additionally face mail disruption with unsecured animals: When a carrier feels unsafe, mail service can be stopped. Until the carrier feels safe enough to restart delivery, the mail will have to be picked up at the dog owner's local Post Office. If a carrier feels a house or neighborhood is unsafe to deliver the mail and there is no way to inform residents their mail service has been suspended, the residents would have to contact the supervisor at their local Post Office for more information. The residents would also have to pick up their mail at the Post Office until it is safe to resume delivery. If a dangerous dog issue is not resolved, owners can be required to rent a Post Office box to receive mail. The U.S. Postal Service says, these cities (shown below) comprise the top 20 localities with the greatest number of dog bite incidents: 2024 Dog Bite/Dog Incident Data 1 LOS ANGELES, California 77 1 2 HOUSTON, Texas 65 2 3 CHICAGO, Illinois 57 3 4 ST. LOUIS, Missouri 47 4 5 CINCINNATI, Ohio 44 5 6 DALLAS, Texas 43 6 7 KANSAS CITY, Missouri 40 7 8 CLEVELAND, Ohio 40 7 9 SAN DIEGO, California 35 8 10 DENVER, Colorado 34 9 11 SAN ANTONIO, Texas 32 10 12 PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania 32 10 13 DETROIT, Michigan 32 10 14 COLUMBUS, Ohio 32 10 15 MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota 30 11 16 INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana 26 12 17 PHOENIX, Arizona 25 13 18 MEMPHIS, Tennessee 25 13 19 OMAHA, Nebraska 24 14 20 LOUISVILLE, Kentucky 24 14 21 ROCHESTER, New York 23 15 22 TOLEDO, Ohio 21 16 23 SACRAMENTO, California 21 16 24 EL PASO, Texas 21 16 25 SAN FRANCISCO, California 20 17 26 OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma 20 17 Customers can stay ahead of the game digitally preview incoming mail and packages from a computer, tablet or mobile device by signing up at USPS says, the service can help dog owners anticipate when their carrier will arrive. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Sacramento ranked 16th worst city for postal service dog attacks: What to do to ensure the safety of others
( — Newly released statistics show that the Sacramento Postal District is ranked at number 16 for the worst city for dog attacks, according to the United States Postal Service. Video Above: Officials condemn lack of security of USPS mailboxes amid audit In 2024, there were 21 attacks in Sacramento, with more than 6,000 postal employees attacked nationwide. USPS released a list of tips and reminders on how dog owners can ensure their pet does not attack anyone. Officials said that dogs act without warning in defense of their territory, when they feel anxious or when they're sick. Therefore, it is important for dog owners to help with the process of safe mail delivery. According to USPS, most people know around what time their carrier arrives every day. Because of this, dog owners are asked to: Secure dogs before the carrier approaches your property to decrease the risk of an attack. Keep dogs in separate rooms or areas away from the door when the mail carrier arrives. Close the door firmly before going outside to make sure no dogs slip through. If already outside, make sure any dogs are secured away from the mail carrier and on a leash. Never accept mail from a carrier in front of dogs. Remind children to not take mail from a carrier as dogs may see that as a threat. Sign up for USPS Informed Delivery to see incoming mail before it arrives. USPS officials also remind dog owners that mail carriers have guidelines when coming face to face with a dog. Mail carriers are trained to: Make a non-threatening noise or rattle a fence to alert dogs Never startle a dog Keep their eyes on any dog Never assume a dog will not bite Never attempt to pet or feed a dog Place their foot against an outward swinging door to prevent a dog from escaping Protect their body by placing something in between them and the dog during an attack Use dog repellent during an attack if necessary 'Mail carriers have tools to alert them to dogs on their routes,' said USPS officials. 'A dog alert feature on carriers' handheld scanners can remind them of a possible dog hazard, and dog warning cards must be used during mail sorting to alert carriers to addresses where a dog may interfere with delivery.' Officials also want owners to know that if a dog attack were to occur, it can cost them thousands of dollars in medical bills, lost wages, uniform replacement costs and pain and suffering. 'Customers may not consider their dog a danger to others, however, to a letter carrier like me, all dogs can be considered a threat when delivering the mail,' said Jonah Helfrich, a Blue Bell, PA, letter carrier. '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. I strongly encourage all dog owners to take precautions to make sure their dog is secure when mail is being delivered.' Additionally, mail delivery can be stopped until the carrier feels safe enough to restart the delivery. USPS said that until then, mail would have to be picked up at the local Post Office. Pilot program launched to help lost pets find their way back home For the resident to be informed of the mail delivery suspension, they must contact the local Post Office for more information. According to officials, if the dangerous dog issue is not resolved, then the owner may be required to rent a Post Office box. Meanwhile, Los Angeles was ranked at number one for the most dog bite incidents, with 77 dog bites in 2024. Houston, Texas is at number two with 65 dog bites, and Chicago, Illinois takes third place with 57 dog bites in 2024. California was the state with the most dog bites in 2024, with 701, while Texas had 438 and Ohio had 350 dog bites in 2024. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Dogs Bite More Postal Workers in L.A. More Than Any Other City, with California as No. 1 State
Dogs Bite More Postal Workers in L.A. More Than Any Other City, with California as No. 1 State originally appeared on L.A. Mag. It's rough out there — or 'ruff,' some might say — for postal workers making deliveries in the City of it's no laughing matter. This week starts National Dog Bite Awareness Week — yes, that's real — a campaign by the US Postal Service, which kicked off June 1, encourages #dogbiteawareness be used to show USPS counted over 6,000 dog-related attacks on mail carriers reported in 2024 alone. 77 of these happened here in Los Angeles, and hundreds more in California crowned the state number-one in the rankings. The runner-up, Texas, hit 438, while Californian incidents reached a whopping 701.'I strongly encourage all dog owners to take precautions to make sure their dog is secure when mail is being delivered,' says Jonah Helfrich, a letter carrier and spokesperson for the USPS campaign. 'Customers may not consider their dog a danger to others, however, to a letter carrier like me, all dogs can be considered a threat when delivering the mail.' Helfrich said he recently received medical attention after a dog barged out from inside the home he was delivering to and bit him on the USPS affirms that their employees are trained to deliver mail safely, even in the presence of pets, listing out verified rules, such as: 'Never startle a dog,' 'Never assume a dog will not bite' and 'Never attempt to pet or feed a dog.'If a carrier feels unsafe, the USPS said, mail delivery can be suspended and patrons may be required to receive all mail from the post office until the situation can be resolved.'Dog bite attacks on postal employees are preventable,' says Leeann Theriault, USPS employee safety and health awareness manager. 'The most important message for our customers to remember during the 2025 USPS National Dog Bite Awareness Campaign is keep your dog secured and away from the carrier as the mail is being delivered.' This story was originally reported by L.A. Mag on Jun 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
