Attacks on Virginia Mail Carriers Topped 120 in 2025, New USPS Data Shows
Newly released U.S. Postal Service data shows that Virginia mail carriers were attacked by dogs more than 120 times in 2025 alone.
Nationally, USPS logged approximately 5,200 dog attacks on its employees in 2025. That’s down from close to 6,000 the year before, but the improvement doesn’t change the underlying reality. Thousands of carriers are bitten every year while doing a job that requires them to approach strangers’ homes, porches, and yards on foot, every day, rain or shine.
Virginia’s totals followed the national pattern, falling from 157 attacks in 2024 to 126 in 2025. The cities with the most reported incidents were:
- Richmond: 10 attacks
- Norfolk: 8 attacks
- Alexandria: 7 attacks
- Newport News: 6 attacks
- Hampton: 5 attacks
- Arlington: 5 attacks
USPS employee safety and health awareness manager put it plainly in the agency’s announcement: keeping carriers safe takes ongoing cooperation from both the Postal Service and the households on their routes, because a dog’s behavior can turn aggressive without warning.
Local reporting on this year’s numbers included an account from a carrier who was bitten on the calf while handing a package to a customer in a Richmond home. There had been no growling, no lunging, no indication beforehand that the dog would react.
That unpredictability is exactly why USPS emphasizes prevention. By the time a carrier realizes a dog is aggressive, it’s often too late to avoid an injury.
USPS’s Guidance for Dog Owners
The Postal Service’s safety recommendations for residents are straightforward:
- Put dogs in a separate room and close the door before answering for a carrier
- Confirm any exterior door is securely latched if a dog is nearby
- Keep dogs leashed whenever they’re outside during delivery times
- Never let a dog be present when accepting mail directly from a carrier, and teach kids to do the same
What Virginia Law Says About Owner Liability
Virginia doesn’t have a statute that automatically makes a dog owner liable the first time their dog bites someone. Instead, civil claims are generally governed by case law requiring proof that the owner knew, or reasonably should have known, that the dog had aggressive tendencies.
For a mail carrier or delivery driver hurt on the job, workers’ compensation typically pays for medical treatment and a portion of lost income, but it stops there. It generally does not cover pain and suffering, permanent scarring, or the long-term impact of a reduced earning capacity. Recovering those damages may requires a separate liability claim against the dog’s owner.
Virginia Dog Bite Lawyers
Our firm has spent decades handling dog bite claims for the people across the state, including mail carriers and delivery drivers.
If you or someone you know has been bitten by a dog in Virginia, reach out to our office for a free, no-obligation consultation. to discuss your situation.