IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 355 

Recognizing May 17–23, 2009, as National Dog Bite Prevention Week, and 

calling upon all municipalities to work with the American Veterinary 

Medical Association, the United States Postal Service, and the American 

Academy of Pediatrics to adopt and implement effective dog bite injury 

prevention programs to protect Postal Service employees, including laws 

encouraging responsible dog ownership. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 22, 2009 

Mr. MCCOTTER submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing May 17–23, 2009, as National Dog Bite Prevention Week, and calling upon all municipalities to work 

with the American Veterinary Medical Association, the 

United States Postal Service, and the American Academy 

of Pediatrics to adopt and implement effective dog bite 

injury prevention programs to protect Postal Service employees, including laws encouraging responsible dog ownership. 

Whereas National Dog Bite Prevention Week, May 17–23, 

2009, is an appropriate time to raise awareness of the 

dangers of canine aggression against United States Postal Service employees and the public; 


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•HRES 355 IH 

Whereas Congress has sought to protect United States Postal 

Service employees and the public from all safety hazards, 

including dangerous dogs; 

Whereas National Dog Bite Prevention Week calls attention 

to one of the Nation’s most commonly reported public 

health problems: dog attacks and dog bite injuries; 

Whereas dogs have shared their lives with humans for more 

than 12,000 years and have contributed substantially to 

humans’ quality of life, and there are more than 

74,000,000 owned dogs in the United States; 

Whereas according to the Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention, more than 4,700,000 people in this country 

(or nearly 2 percent of the population) are injured by dog 

bites each year, and, of that number, approximately 

800,000 are affected seriously enough to require medical 

attention; 

Whereas the primary victims of dog bite injuries are children; 

Whereas more than 3,000 United States Postal Service mail 

carriers are bitten by dogs each year, as are an unknown 

number of meter readers, police officers, and other doorto-door professionals who have regular exposure to numerous dogs; 

Whereas the average cost of a dog bite injury (or other attack by a dog), resulting in a claim for medical treatment, is $336; 

Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has 

determined that more than 70 percent of dogs involved 

in attacks are males of various breeds which have not 

been neutered; 

Whereas intact dogs are more likely to roam, which increases 

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miliar dogs, and spaying or neutering is recommended to 

minimize this risk; 

Whereas the following additional strategies to help prevent 

dog bite injuries are recommended: enforcement of animal control ordinances; adoption and enforcement of nonbreed-specific dangerous dog laws; prohibiting dog fighting; and children-and-adult-based education programs 

which teach pet selection strategies, pet care and responsibility, and bite prevention techniques; 

Whereas the American Veterinary Medical Association, the 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United 

States Postal Service, and the American Academy of Pediatrics are working to educate Americans about dog bite 

injury prevention; and 

Whereas municipalities across the country have a duty to 

adopt and implement comprehensive dog bite injury prevention programs, including laws addressing responsible 

dog ownership, irrespective of breed, to ensure the safety 

of United States Postal Service employees and the public: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that— 

3 (1) the House of Representatives supports the 

4 goals and ideals of National Dog Bite Prevention 

5 Week as being for the protection of United States 

6 Postal Service employees and the public; 

7 (2) municipalities should work with the United 

8 States Postal Service, in consultation with the Amer9 ican Veterinary Medical Association and the AmerVerDate Nov 24 2008 01:50 Apr 23, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR355.IH HR355

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1 ican Academy of Pediatrics, to adopt and implement 

2 effective dog bite injury prevention programs which 

3 encourage responsible dog ownership to protect 

4 United States Postal Service employees, considering 

5 dogs of all breeds may bite if they are not managed 

6 appropriately and treated humanely; and 

7 (3) preventing United States Postal Service em8 ployees from receiving dog bite injuries and pro9 tecting them from canine aggression are issues 

10 which must be addressed by each community, and, 

11 when addressing those issues, communities should 

12 consider the many factors contributing to a dog’s 

13 tendency to bite United States Postal Service em14 ployees and should enact model programs and legis15 lation addressing these various factors. 

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