Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 68, No. 22 - May 30, 2019
Inside
This Issue
Calendar of Events.............2
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.......................7
City Council..........................3
Classifieds............................2
Entertainment......................5
Hawthorne Happenings....2
Lawndale..............................4
Legals............................. 4,6,7
Pets........................................8
Weekend
Forecast
The Weekly Newspaper of Inglewood
A Local Memorial Day Tribute
City of Inglewood officials led a local tribute on Monday in honor of the men and women of the United States armed forces who paid the ultimate sacrifice… Photo: City of Inglewood
Friday
Partly
Cloudy
63˚/57˚
Saturday
Partly
Cloudy
64˚/56˚
Sunday
Sunny
64˚/57˚
Biting Dogs Have Mail Carriers
in Every City on the Defensive
By Rob McCarthy
Something about the sound of footsteps
approaching the front porch sends dogs
into a defensive posture. Your dog may be
friendly with everyone, but it doesn’t matter.
Regardless of the breed, the size or the
animal’s temperament, dogs will bite if they
feel threatened.
That’s why the United States Postal Service
on Saturday started a public awareness
campaign for pet owners across the South
Bay. The mail carrier doesn’t trust your dog
as much as you do. Vice versa for your pet.
And a screen door separating isn’t enough
to stop an attack.
South Bay mail carriers last year were on
the receiving end of 31 dog bites, according
to the Postal Service. With summer nearing,
the postmaster for the Los Angeles region that
includes Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale
and El Segundo reminds pet owners that
dog attacks on mail carriers and children can
happen in a split second.
Here are some suggestions for how to
prevent a dog from biting the mail carrier or
a stranger at the front door. When a letter carrier
delivers mail or packages to a front door,
place a 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.
Parents should remind children and other
family members not to take mail directly
from letter carriers in the presence of the
family pet. The dog may view the letter
carrier handing mail to a family member as
a threatening gesture.
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
facility 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.
The number of dog attacks on postal employees
locally and nationally declined last
year, proof that the public-awareness campaign
and safety tips for pet owners works, according
to Postal Service spokeswoman Evelina
Ramirez. The national dog bite awareness
campaign ran for one week in mid-April,
but South Bay mail carriers will participate
in a more targeted campaign that will last
through the summer months.
The Los Angeles postal region had the
second highest number of dog attacks on
mail carriers in the country last year. Houston
was the worst city for dogs mauling letter
carriers, followed by L.A., Philadelphia,
Cleveland and Dallas. San Diego made the
list at number 12.
Mail carriers across the Los Angeles region
have started wearing t-shirts on Saturdays that
ask all households with dogs to be responsible
for pets. Postcards were left in mailboxes on
Saturday for households with a known dog
as reminders that dog bites affect everyone:
the carrier, the Postal Service, the homeowner
and the neighbors.
“Although our employees are provided with
extensive training in preventive measures
against dog attacks, we are asking for dog
owners to aid USPS in lowering the number
of attacks,” said Los Angeles Postmaster Joe
Zapata.
Those postcards bear the hashtag slogans
#preventdog bites and Be a #ResponsibleDogOwner.
The regional campaign asks
homeowners living in Inglewood, Hawthorne,
Lawndale and El Segundo to “help us to
deliver safely.” Each city had at least one
reported dog bite of a mailman or woman
last year, according to USPS figures. Gardena
had the highest number of dog attacks on
mail employees at six. Lawndale, Lynwood
and Torrance had five dog bites reported by
postal employees. Inglewood had four attacks,
while Hawthorne and El Segundo had two
and one bite respectively.
The actual number of pet attacks on the
mail delivery person is probably higher, says
the USPS spokeswoman Ramirez. Incidents
involving aggressive dogs are left to the
employees’ judgment whether it was serious
enough to warrant a report to a supervisor.
The dangers to letter carriers are so serious
that they receive special training to prepare
them for the inevitable confrontation with a
dog upset that somebody is trespassing in his
territory. Bites are on the decline locally and
nationwide since the training began.
Sixty carriers in the South Bay and Metro
L.A. were bitten in 2018, which was an
See Biting Dogs, page 6