There’s a golden rule that every mail carrier follows: if you don’t feel safe, don’t deliver.
Tara Snyder didn’t realize she was in danger when when she went about her usual 10-mile mail delivery route in Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania on April 15.
Snyder was working overtime on a “heavy” mail day, when she walked up to the porch of a home that required a signature at around 4pm.
As she neared the door, a mixed-breed shepherd suddenly “pushed out the screen door and came right at me,” Snyder said.
This was the only dog attack Snyder had endured in the seven years that she has been delivering the mail — but dog bites in her profession are not uncommon, and they’re increasing. In 2023, there were 5,800 dog attack incidents against USPS employees, up from 5,300 in 2022, according to agency data.
