The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) sends its carriers out to make mail deliveries six days a week—or even seven, depending on where you live. But delivery is not always guaranteed. The USPS will pull its workers from their routes when concerns arise, like hazardous weather conditions or dangerous roadways. And now, the agency is warning customers that their regular service could suffer if specific adjustments are not made. Read on to find out about the changes the USPS is asking you to make right away.
READ THIS NEXT: USPS Is Making More Changes to Your Mail, Starting June 13.
The USPS sounded the alarm on a safety issue for its carriers.
iStockPostal carriers put up with a lot to make sure your mail gets to you—including the possibility of animal attacks, according to the USPS. In a May 25 local press release, the Postal Service revealed that more than 5,300 of its employees were attacked by dogs while making deliveries in 2022.
"Aggressive dog behavior is a common safety concern USPS employees face," the agency said.
To bring awareness to this danger, the Postal Service is kicking off its annual National Dog Bite Awareness Week on June 4. The theme for this year's campaign is "even good dogs have bad days," according to the agency.
"When our mail carriers are bitten, it is usually a 'good dog' that had not previously behaved in a menacing way," USPS Occupational Safety and Health Senior Director Linda DeCarlo said in a statement. "In 2022, too many aggressive dogs impacted the lives of our employees while delivering the mail. Please help us reduce that number by being a responsible pet owner who secures their dog as we deliver the mail."
The agency is asking customers to make certain adjustments to prevent animal attacks.
iStockAs part of its National Dog Bite Awareness campaign, the USPS is putting the spotlight on its customers. The agency said this year's initiative "emphasizes the need for increased owner responsibility in the prevention of dog attacks."
That means you may need to make certain changes for your mail deliveries to prevent an incident from occurring between your dog and a Postal Service worker.
"Pet owners are asked to wait for the carrier to leave the area before opening the door to get their mail or package," the USPS said in a separate local press release. "Too many dogs have slipped between an owner's legs while the door is open and attacking the carrier."
To further prevent problems, the Postal Service asks that dogs in the home be restrained or kept in another room while mail deliveries are being made.
"If dogs are outside, make sure they are properly restrained and out of reach of a mail carrier," the agency added.
These are not the only changes you may need to make.
Rene Sandoval Jr / ShutterstockThe Postal Service also brought to light a different issue for carriers during another recent public campaign: damaged mailboxes.
Per a May 15 local press release, the agency held its annual Mailbox Improvement Week during the third week of May to "encourage customers to examine and, where necessary, improve the appearance of their mailboxes."
As part of its Mailbox Improvement campaign, the USPS has asked homeowners to make sure their mailboxes are safe to use, designed to protect the mail from weather, conveniently located, neat in appearance, and in-line with approval regulations from the Postmaster General.
"Repairing mailboxes improves the security, accessibility, and appearance of their mailboxes which makes delivering and receiving mail safer for our carriers and customers," USPS Tennessee District Manager Omar Coleman said in a statement.
To make sure yours is in good shape, you might need to make some changes. This includes common repairs like replacing loose hinges on your mailbox door, repainting mailboxes that have rusted or started peeling, remounting loosened mailbox posts, and replacing or adding house numbers.
You can also consider trading out your old, worn-out mailbox for a new one altogether—but be aware that you "must use only Postal Service–approved traditional, contemporary or locking full/limited-service mailboxes," Coleman added.
Your delivery service can be suspended if you don't make these changes.
ShutterstockIf you rely on getting your mail on a regular basis, you'll want to heed these requests from the USPS. Otherwise, you could risk having your delivery service suspended this summer.
As the USPS warns on its website, both loose dogs and damaged or broken mailboxes at your home can prevent your mail from getting delivered.
"Delivery service may be temporarily withdrawn when animals interfere with our ability to complete mail delivery. Owners must confine their dogs during delivery hours," the agency says, noting that even one loose dog can potential affect deliveries for an entire neighborhood. "Mail delivery will resume as soon as the Postal Service is confident the animal is no longer a threat."
In terms of personal mailboxes, property owners are responsible for maintaining them and making any repairs when necessary, according to the USPS. If you don't correct issues, you "risk having your mail service suspended until the problems are resolved," the Postal Service says.
