Dear Editor:

The employees of the Easton and Bethlehem post offices are strategizing to find ways to reduce dog attacks on carriers. We are engaging in a project that includes education and information for employees, and dog owner participation in our communities.

When you consider that last year, eight postal employees were victims of dog attacks in our local post offices (Easton, Allentown, Bethlehem, Coopersburg and Macungie), and we have had a few more attacks this year, you can understand our concern.

Dog attacks are not only traumatic for our employees, they also have implications for dogs and their owners. By reducing dog attack incidents we minimize the physical, emotional, and potentially financial impacts of these type of events.

So here are some critical points for dog owners:

*If a letter carrier delivers mail or packages to your front door, place your dog in a separate room and close that door before opening the front door. Dogs have been known to burst through screen doors or plate-glass windows to attack visitors. Dog owners should keep the family pet secured.

*Parents should remind their children and other family members not to take mail directly from letter carriers in the presence of the family pet, as the dog may view the letter carrier handing mail to a family member as a threatening gesture.

*The Postal Service places the safety of its employees as a top priority. If a letter carrier feels threatened by a dog, or if a dog is loose or unleashed, the owner may be asked to pick up mail at a post office until the letter carrier is assured the pet has been restrained. If the dog is roaming the neighborhood, the pet owner’s neighbors also may be asked to pick up their mail at the area’s post office.

Please be a responsible pet owner to ensure the safety of all of our citizens. Educate children on how to behave around dogs – whether the family pet or a loose one. Together, we can safeguard all from unnecessary and potentially devastating dog attacks.

Thank you for your help with this very important issue.

Renee D. Rusyn

Easton postmaster

Daniel F. Mazzeo

Bethlehem postmaster