A dog might be a man’s best friend, but is it a letter carrier’s? With summer still in season, the warm weather invites situations when a dog can be potentially dangerous, and in recent weeks, local letter carriers have been bitten by dogs.

“That’s why we need to deliver an important message about dog bite prevention,” said Milwaukee Postmaster Easton C. Wright. “Several of our letter carriers know first-hand about the prevention and the pain of animal attacks, and we want to help educate the community — especially parents and pet owners.”

More than 4.5 million people are bitten annually by dogs. Last year, nearly 5,000 letter carriers were bitten by dogs across the country. At the Milwaukee Post Office, there have been more than 68 dog incidents within the last year, according to a release from USPS. These numbers pale in comparison to the more than 2 million children who received dog bite injuries in a single year.

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) report that small children, the elderly, and letter carriers, in that order, are the most frequent victims of dog bites. Children are the majority of victims and are 900 times more likely to be bitten than letter carriers.

“Dog attacks are the most commonly reported childhood public health problem in the United States,” adds Wright. “Dog bite victims account for up to 5 percent of emergency room visits.”