INDIANAPOLIS — With dog attacks on mail carriers remaining a critical safety threat, the U.S. Postal Service is issuing an urgent call to action for Hoosier pet owners ahead of its annual National Dog Bite Awareness Campaign, which officially kicks off Monday, June 1, 2026.
The theme of this year’s month-long safety push is “Don’t turn your back on dog bite prevention.” The campaign aims to curb a persistent issue that compromises the physical safety of front-line workers and threatens regular mail delivery for entire neighborhoods.
Nationwide, more than 5,200 postal employees were attacked or cornered by dogs last year. While that number reflects a slight decrease from previous years, the figures in Indiana remain troubling.
According to newly released 2025 data from the USPS, Indiana homeowners accounted for 159 separate dog attack incidents against mail carriers over the past year. The surge in local aggression ranks Indiana 10th in the country for the most dog attacks on postal workers.
On a municipal level, Indianapolis continues to be a hotspot for these dangerous encounters, logging 35 mail carrier attacks last year and ranking among the top 15 most hazardous cities for postal delivery nationwide.
The Financial and Logistical Toll on Owners
Postal officials are reminding the public that dog bite prevention protects not only the carrier but also the pet owner’s wallet. According to data from the Insurance Information Institute, the average cost per insurance claim for a dog bite sits at nearly $70,000. When a dog attacks a letter carrier, the pet owner can be held personally liable for substantial out-of-pocket expenses, including the employee’s medical bills, lost wages, replacement uniform costs, and legal damages for pain and suffering.
Beyond financial liabilities, aggressive pets can cause immediate logistical headaches for entire neighborhoods.
Under official USPS safety guidelines, mail carriers are instructed to “curtail” or temporarily halt delivery if they feel threatened by an unrestrained or roaming animal. If an owner fails to secure an aggressive dog, mail service will be suspended to that specific household, requiring the resident to drive to their local Post Office facility to manually retrieve their letters and packages.
Furthermore, if a loose dog is repeatedly found roaming a neighborhood street, the USPS has the statutory authority to suspend mail delivery for an entire city block until the threat is completely neutralized by local animal control officials.
How Carriers Are Arming Themselves Against Attacks
To stay ahead of these unpredictable encounters, the Postal Service provides letter carriers with comprehensive defensive training and tech-driven awareness tools, including:
- Digital Warnings: Letter carriers carry Mobile Delivery Devices (MDDs)—handheld scanners used for logging package tracking. These devices feature a built-in alert system that flashes a warning screen to notify a carrier if they are approaching an individual address with a documented history of an aggressive dog. This is especially vital for substitute carriers filling in on unfamiliar routes.
- Warning Cards: Local stations utilize physical, bright yellow “Dog Warning Cards” that are manually placed directly into mail-sorting cases to alert substitute carriers before they ever leave the office.
- The Satchel Shield: If a dog actively lunges, carriers are trained to stand their ground and use their heavy leather mail satchel as a physical shield to block bites.
- Chemical Repellent: As a last resort during a violent attack, carriers carry a government-issued aerosol spray containing a 0.35% oleoresin capsicum (cayenne pepper extract) solution to temporarily deter the animal without causing permanent harm.
“Every single day, our postal employees serve their communities across dynamic, fast-changing environments,” said Leeann Theriault, the USPS Employee Safety and Health Awareness Manager, in a national release. “Preventing dog-related incidents requires constant, shared vigilance. Animal behaviors can change in an instant.”
Postal officials emphasize that even the most affectionate, well-trained family pets can become protective, territorial, or unpredictable when a uniformed stranger walks up the driveway. To prevent sudden accidents, residents are asked to practice the following simple precautions:
- Secure the Interior: If a mail carrier approaches your front porch with a package, place your dog in a separate room and firmly latch the interior door before opening your front door. Do not rely on screen doors or glass storm doors, as larger dogs have been documented bursting through glass and mesh to attack.
- Utilize Digital Tracking Tools: More than 70 million Americans currently use Informed Delivery, a free USPS service that emails a daily digest previewing incoming mail and package arrival windows. Homeowners are urged to use these alerts to know exactly when a carrier will arrive and to ensure their dogs are brought inside.
- Keep Leashes Secure: If a dog is outside during standard delivery hours, it must be securely leashed behind a fence or structural barrier away from the immediate path to the mailbox.
- Do Not Take Mail Directly: Parents should instruct children never to take mail or packages directly from a letter carrier’s hand while the family dog is nearby. A dog’s protective instinct can easily misinterpret the carrier’s reaching hand as a threatening physical gesture toward the child.
The month-long campaign will feature localized public safety events at postal facilities throughout the state of Indiana during June. Residents are encouraged to join the conversation and share safety strategies on social media utilizing the hashtag #dogbiteawareness.
