Massachusetts City That Features Highest Number Of Dog Attacks

Here's a question, Massachusetts residents: What professions would you consider to be the most dangerous? Nowadays, there are certainly enough to choose from. I'm sure that some common/popular answers would be police officers and firefighters, right?

What about some other professions that wouldn't necessarily come to mind right away? Loggers, for instance. Were you aware that logging is one of the most dangerous jobs in America?

Logging workers generally have a fatal accident rate that is at least 30 times the national average! I knew logging was dangerous, but had no idea just how dangerous it was.

Other dangerous lines of work that might not come to mind right away include roofers, power-line installers/repairers, farmers, highway workers, construction workers, crossing guards, heavy vehicle mechanics, and mining machine operators.

There's another profession that is not commonly thought of as "dangerous". And chances are probably good that you didn't think of it right away. I'm talking about mail carriers. Yes, those fine folks who deliver your packages, bills, and junk mail daily.

You're probably wondering why I consider it a dangerous profession. When it comes to dogs, or more specifically dog attacks, it's certainly dangerous to some degree. Angry or protective dogs do not like strangers entering their yards. No sir, they don't like it one bit.

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According to the U.S. Postal Service, dogs bit mail carriers 116 times last year in Massachusetts. 116 times!!! I'm not sure if any unlucky postal worker was bitten more than once, but let's just assume they weren't. That means 116 different letter carriers were bitten by dogs last year. To me, that is mind-blowing.

Can you guess which Massachusetts city in particular leads the way for having the highest number of dog attacks? I'll save you the trouble of guessing. Springfield. Yep. There were 5 incidents in Hoop City last year where a dog bit a postal worker.

In second place was the city of Woburn with 4 dog bite incidents in 2023. There's a 4-way tie for third place with the cities of Beverly, Milton, Shrewsbury, and Webster each having 3 dog bite incidents last year.

The U.S. Postal Service would like to remind dog owners, as part of the USPS 2024 National Dog Bite Awareness Campaign, that when a mail carrier comes to your home make sure your dog is on a leash and away from the door or behind a fence.

For more on the story, please visit the U.S. Postal Service's website here.