Just fewer than 6000 postmen were bitten by dogs in the USA alone in 2012, the highest rates city being Los Angeles, which suffered 69 separate incidents of letter carriers being attacked. Surprisingly, this was a decrease from 83 attacks in the previous year, which is a little bit of good news, albeit still making it the worst city in the continent.
In 2001, the Postal Service in Germany decided to take decisive action and taught courses on dog psychology to couriers to decrease the number of attacks, as there were around 3000 letter carriers a year attacked in Germany, leading up to around £8 million worth of medical bills.
Some dog bites have been so severe that they can lead to fatalities, or if the courier is an elderly citizen, can lead to heart attacks, although this is rarely the case. On the 15th July 2013 the Royal Mail launched its first Dog Awareness Week, as dog attacks have resulted in the loss of over 4500 working says since April 2011.
Take care when sending a parcel to Los Angeles for your friend or relative, as dog attacks tend to increase during school holidays. To find out our excellent rates for international shipping, use RAND Logistics quick quote form.