James O’Malley, a Philadelphia Customer Connect carrier coordinator, will appear in this year’s USPS National Dog Bite Awareness Campaign in June.
Daniel Afzal, a USPS photographer, took the photo that will be the center of the campaign. It shows O’Malley standing his ground while demonstrating how to use a mail satchel as a barrier when a dog attacks.
Olive, the black Labrador retriever who played the part of the attacking canine, was “so sweet,” he said. “If I could have taken her home, I would have.”
Olive is a certified therapy dog who was trained by Grace DiLaqua, 12, the niece of Donna Graham-DiLaqua, a customer relations manager in Delaware-Pennsylvania 2 District.
Grace is the youngest certified therapy dog trainer in Pennsylvania. “She goes to the library and reads to dogs and kids. She has her calling already,” O’Malley said.
As a carrier coordinator, O’Malley visits offices regularly, and one of the many topics he addresses is bite prevention. “If it has teeth, it can bite,” he tells carriers from experience. The dog lover says he has been bitten once during his 35-year career.
“I’m honored to support the Dog Bite Awareness Campaign,” he said, “and to remind everyone that safety is a shared responsibility.”
The campaign will run during the month of June.
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