Daily printout: June 3, 2024

More than 5,800 Postal Service employees were attacked by dogs last year, up from around 5,300 cases the year before, according to data released as part of the latest USPS National Dog Bite Awareness Campaign.

The annual campaign — which begins Sunday, June 2, and concludes Sunday, June 9 — aims to offer crucial information on how dog owners can ensure the safety of Postal Service employees who deliver the mail.

“Letter carriers are exposed to potential hazards every day, none more prevalent than a canine encounter. All it takes is one interaction for a letter carrier to possibly suffer an injury,” said Leeann Theriault, the USPS employee safety and health awareness manager.

“The Postal Service consistently encourages responsible pet ownership. The national dog bite campaign is an effort to promote dog bite awareness to keep our customers, their dogs and letter carriers safe during mail delivery.”

Among major cities, Los Angeles led with 65 cases involving dog attacks on USPS employees, followed by Houston (56), Chicago (48), St. Louis (46) and Cleveland (44).

California reported 727 attacks, followed by Texas (411), Ohio (359), Pennsylvania (334) and Illinois (316).

During the campaign, the Postal Service is reminding customers to keep dogs inside their homes, behind a fence or on a leash. Customers are also encouraged to use USPS Informed Delivery, a service that provides digital previews of incoming mail and packages, which can allow dog owners to anticipate when their carrier will arrive.

The organization is reminding employees to stay vigilant when they know dogs may be present.

USPS trains letters carriers to:

• Make a nonthreatening noise or rattle a fence to alert a dog if entering a yard;

• 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; and

• Place their foot against an outward swinging door to prevent a dog from escaping.

If a dog attacks, carriers are also trained to stand their ground and protect their body by placing something — such as a mail satchel — between them and the dog and to use dog repellent, if necessary.

“Even though a customer’s dog is friendly to most people, it can always have a bad day,” said Tara Snyder, a Nesquehoning, PA, letter carrier who was attacked by a dog.

“I know from experience that even when a dog is in the house, customers need to make sure their door is secure so their dog can’t push it open and bite the letter carrier.”

USPS offers tools to alert carriers to dogs on their routes.

A feature on handheld scanners can remind carriers of a possible dog hazard, and warning cards must be used during mail sorting to alert carriers to addresses where a dog may interfere with delivery.

The National Postal Forum, the mailing and shipping industry’s largest annual conference, will be held from Sunday, June 2, through Wednesday, June 5, at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis.

The theme this year is “Connecting at the Crossroads.” Postmaster General Louis DeJoy will deliver the opening address for the general session on Monday, June 3.

His remarks will focus on the “organizational evolution, structural shifts and operational enhancements” that have well positioned USPS at the crossroads of the future, according to the website for the forum, also known as NPF.

Several USPS executives will lead sessions at the conference, including:

• “A New Delivery Fleet to Serve America’s Needs,” with Dr. Joshua Colin, chief retail and delivery officer; Angela Curtis, delivery operations vice president; Justin Glass, fleet management director; and Victoria Stephen, next-generation delivery vehicle program director.

• “Confidence in the Mail and Securing Tomorrow’s Deliveries,” with Chief Postal Inspector Gary Barksdale; Scott Bombaugh, chief technology officer; and Heather Dyer, chief information security officer.

• “Revitalizing Facilities for Our Modern Network,” with Bombaugh, Stephen and Ben Kuo, facilities vice president.

The general session on Tuesday, June 4, “A Manifestation of Outcomes — Across the Enterprise,” will be led by several executives, and a town hall on June 5 will feature the postmaster general.

USPS certification courses in mail design, direct mail marketing and mail center management will also be offered.

The National Postal Forum was founded in 1968 to ensure open lines of communication between USPS and business customers.

The Postal Service will observe LGBTQ+ Pride Month, held each June to honor the contributions and hard-fought battles of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning Americans.

LGBTQ+ Pride Month traces its roots to June 1970, when Gay Pride Week was held in New York City.

The week included the Christopher Street Liberation Parade on June 28, a year to the day after the Stonewall riots — the Greenwich Village uprising that sparked the gay liberation movement.

Stonewall riot anniversary activities also took place that year in Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

In June 1999, Bill Clinton became the first U.S. president to issue a proclamation for a Gay and Lesbian Pride Month, declaring it a time “to remember … the gay and lesbian Americans whose many and varied contributions have enriched our national life.”

Numerous LGBTQ+ individuals have been honored with USPS stamps over the years, including author James Baldwin, politician Harvey Milk, astronaut Sally Ride and poet Walt Whiman.

One of the Postal Service’s most celebrated releases, the first Love stamp issued in 1973, was based on the iconic Love sculpture, which featured a tilted O, designed by gay artist Robert Indiana. He was a former partner of abstract artist Ellsworth Kelly, who was honored with his own set of stamps in 2019.

The Library of Congress website’s LGBTQ+ Pride Month page has more information.