If You See A Paw Print On A North Dakota Mailbox, Leave It Alone

Carrying mail from house to house is no easy job. I'd also be willing to bet that doing this in North Dakota is especially challenging with the snow, ice, and wind.

You need to worry about many things when you're a mail carrier: Am I at the right house? Am I on time? - Those two questions are enough to stress me out.

There's something else many mail carriers worry about that's actually dangerous. Dogs.

While most of our pets are docile and friendly to us as their owners/parents, they might not be so friendly when it's a stranger walking into their yard.

Yes, over the years, mailmen and mailwomen have feared getting attacked by my territorial dogs.

According to Usps.com, there were 5,800 dog bite cases across the country last year.

States With The Most Dog Bites

Luckily, North Dakota isn't in the top ten for most dog bite cases, but it's definitely something we should consider.

According to CBS.com, California has seen the greatest rise in dog bite reports. Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, St. Louis, and Cleveland are the cities with the most dog bites in 2023.

Paw Print Stickers

The USPS is doing its best to help spread awareness about the situation, so they've introduced the "Dog Paw Program."

It's a very simple but effective thing that will help your local mail carriers.

A bright orange pawprint sticker is placed on the side on the side of your mailbox --this tells your mailman that there is a dog at home. This allow them to be more cautious when approaching your house.

If one appears on your mailbox, leave it there. The postal crew put it there as a warning/reminder. When they place these on your mailbox, they will also leave a postcard explaining the program to be sure you understand the reasoning.