Arizona, If You Find a Paw Print Sticker on Your Mailbox, Leave It There! Here’s Why

Your dog is the sweetest little baby in the world. She's loyal, she's loving, and she knows all your secrets. She's also protective of you, and in the course of doing her job, she could try to defend you. Even when you're not in danger.

"Don't Bite the Mailman"

Sadly, this is such a common occurrence, Dave Matthews made this a line in his 1994 song, "What Would You Say?".

The last thing an Arizona dog owners want is for their dog to hurt someone. The United States Post Office (USPS) in Arizona recently wrapped up Dog Bite Prevention Week which was held the first week of June. They want you to know, the awareness campaign continues.

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Dog Bites on the Rise

Dogs attacked 5,300 mail carriers across America last year. According to the Arizona USPS website, the incidence of dog bites in Phoenix alone increased in 2022. The Post Office is spreading the message in order to curb future attacks on carriers, and they need your help.

The Postal Service released its dog attack city rankings for 2022.

Phoenix is on the list at number 9 with 32 attacks last year, up from 28 in 2021.

There were 78 postal employees in Arizona who were attacked by dogs last year, up from 68 in 2021.

More than 5,300 postal employees were attacked by dogs in 2022 throughout the nation.

How You Can Help Prevent Dog Bites in Arizona

The mail carrier usually delivers to your house at around the same time every day. You can get ahead of trouble by securing your dog before their arrival. It's nice to greet your mail carrier if you happen to see them, just ensure your dog can't get out.

The Post Office's Advice

Keep your dog inside your house or behind a secure fence. If you do need to open the door for any reason, make sure your pooch is well away from the door where she could run out. Consider putting her in another room. Alternatively, you could put a leash on her to keep everyone safe.

If your dog is protective of you, she may be even more protective of your kids. The Post Office suggests parents, "remind children not to take mail directly from a letter carrier as the dog may view the carrier as a threat to the child."

Paw Print Stickers Could Show Up on Your Mailboxes

The Paw Print program is being rolled out in several states, and it could be coming to Arizona. There are a lot of rural postal carriers throughout Arizona which makes implementing the news paw print sticker program a little trickier.

Just last week in a rural Southeastern Arizona town, a mail carrier was bitten by a dog, and another narrowly escaped an attack. Our rural post offices are considering options to help spread the word and keep our carriers safe.

So, if you see a dog pawprint sticker on your mailbox, be sure to leave it in place. It's a way mail carriers communicate with each other to stay safe.

You could be saving your mail carrier - and your dog - a lot of pain.