Dogs are attacking mail carriers at alarming rates, forcing the post office to avoid entire neighborhoods

• Postal workers suffer more than 5,400 dog attacks every year. 
• Many dog owners say their dogs won’t bite before they do, according to delivery drivers.
• Dog bites can cause carriers to interrupt service in the case of frequent attacks or fatalities.

There’s one thing that nearly every delivery company teaches new employees on day one: residents lie about their dogs.

“He’s never done that before” is at the top of the list of things drivers regularly hear after being attacked by a dog.

“All dogs have teeth,” US Postal Service spokesperson David Coleman told Insider. “You just never know.”

It’s so common that drivers make TikToks and memes about it to post on social platforms like Reddit. According to accounts from delivery drivers online, many dog bites happen after a resident tells the person making the delivery that the dog doesn’t bite.