It is "Dog Bite Prevention Week," and for many who work outdoors each day, like contractors or postal workers, the possibility of getting bitten or attacked by a dog is very real.
The U.S. Postal Service is on a mission to keep workers safe. USPS just released numbers showing that last year, over 6,500 USPS employees were attacked by dogs.
Dog Trainer Hector Hernandez not only runs his own training facility in Bath, he works with postal carriers to keep them safe.
The advice for postal workers: keep your eyes on an aggressive dog, watch its body language and use the tools around you - like a mail satchel.
"The satchel is going to be put in front of the dog and moved in a way that the satchel becomes part of their body and the dog bites that," says Hernandez.
For dog owners, he says it all starts with managing your dog before it becomes a liability.
"Supervise them like you would a kid," says Hernandez.
His dog Malo is so well trained, even in the face of a lot of distraction, Malo still obeys.
"This is kind of like what I call grad school training," says Hernandez, "but nevertheless, that's what...every owner should reach for so they are able to control their dogs in the face of a distraction, whether it be the mailman, the utility worker, police or even another dog."
But for dogs with no training, there are easy ways to start. Begin with basic commands. Hernandez says the most important command for your dog to know is "come."
The postal service is implementing some new safety measures. If you schedule package pick-up, you can indicate whether you have a dog at the address.
