LOCAL MAIL CARRIERS GET LESSONS ON HOW TO AVOID BEING BITTEN BY DOGS

Dogs long have been a nemesis of letter carriers.

A little over a decade ago, more than 7,000 mail carriers a year suffered dog bites across the United States.

That figure has dwindled substantially, said Mike Keefe, Cape Girardeau postmaster. "Through increased training and public awareness programs, that number was sliced in half by the mid-1990s," he said.

In 1997, the total number of letter carriers experiencing dog bites were 2,708.

"That figure doesn't include the number of threatening incidents that did not result in injury," said Keefe.

The training and awareness programs continue.

"We were fortunate last year," said Keefe. "We didn't have any bites in 1997, but we had to withhold mail a few times."

Letter carriers represent less than one-half of 1 percent of all reported dog-bite victims. For every letter carrier bitten, hundreds of children suffer the trauma of a bite.

A total of 4.7 million dog bites were reported in the U.S. last year, and 2 million involved youngsters. The bites ranged from painless nips to 11 fatal attacks.

The Insurance Information Institute reports that dog-bite claims cost more than $1 billion annually in the United States.

More than 30 non-postal dog-bite cases were reported to Cape Girardeau police last year.

Letter carriers are trained to deal with situations involving dogs, said Keefe. "Where we have continued problems with dogs, we can withdraw services." Keefe said the local post office averages about 10 cases a year of withdrawing services.

Dogs are not the source of the problem.

"Dogs do what comes naturally, which may include biting," says Charles Stucker, animal-control officer for the Cape Girardeau Police Department.

Stucker spoke Tuesday to a group of mail carriers at the Cape Girardeau post office. The U.S. Postal Service and the Humane Society of the United States have teamed up to call the attention to the problem of dog bites and have declared this week National Dog Bite Prevention Week with a goal of promoting responsible pet ownership.

It is up to dog owners to protect the public from bites. A Cape Girardeau ordinance requires dogs to be restrained on the owners' property by leashes or fences. They must have their rabies shots and be licensed.

Dogs bite to protect their territory or to establish dominance over the person being bitten, Stucker told the postal workers. "This is a good time of year for dog bites: They become more irritable in the heat. That, coupled with more people being outside during the summer, increases the chances that someone will be bitten."

Stucker said there are a few warning signs that people can recognize when a dog is about ready to attack: tail high and stiff, ears up, hair on its back standing up, teeth showing.

Mail carriers carry a special spray to ward off dogs.

"Mace is really no deterrent," said Stucker. "It doesn't effect dogs like it does humans."

Actually, a pepper spray is more effective, and loud noise would be even better, said Stucker.

If a dog is vicious and wants to bite, "nothing will stop it," said Stucker, who has been bitten only once during his 18 years as an animal-control officer.

Tips on avoiding being bitten.

Animal-control officer Charles Stucker offers these tips on how to avoid dog bites:

-- Don't mess with unfamiliar dogs. "Dogs are very territorial and may react aggressively when someone invades that territory," he said.

-- Don't make eye contact with dogs, because they perceive eye contact as a challenge.

-- Don't approach a dog, even a familiar one, quickly and stick out your hand. Always talk gently to the dog first and let it see and sniff you.

-- Don't let arms swing at your side. Pull them up closely to the body.

-- Don't run away from a dog. They will pursue.

-- When being approached by a dog, don't scream or run. Try to back away slowly until the dog is out of sight.

-- If the dog does attack, "feed" the dog your mailbag, a jacket, purse, anything you can put between yourself and the dog, said Stucker.