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 Preven-
tion 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 em-
ployees, including laws encouraging responsible dog own-
ership. 
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 Post-
al 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 door- 
to-door professionals who have regular exposure to nu-
merous dogs; 
Whereas the average cost of a dog bite injury (or other at-
tack by a dog), resulting in a claim for medical treat-
ment, 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 
bite risk to people through increased exposure to unfa-
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•HRES 355 IH 
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 ani-
mal control ordinances; adoption and enforcement of non- 
breed-specific dangerous dog laws; prohibiting dog fight-
ing; and children-and-adult-based education programs 
which teach pet selection strategies, pet care and respon-
sibility, 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 Pe-
diatrics 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 pre-
vention 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 
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that— 
(1) the House of Representatives supports the 
goals and ideals of National Dog Bite Prevention 
Week as being for the protection of United States 
Postal Service employees and the public; 
(2) municipalities should work with the United 
States Postal Service, in consultation with the Amer-
ican Veterinary Medical Association and the Amer-
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•HRES 355 IH 
ican Academy of Pediatrics, to adopt and implement 
effective dog bite injury prevention programs which 
encourage responsible dog ownership to protect 
United States Postal Service employees, considering 
dogs of all breeds may bite if they are not managed 
appropriately and treated humanely; and 
(3) preventing United States Postal Service em-
ployees from receiving dog bite injuries and pro-
tecting them from canine aggression are issues 
which must be addressed by each community, and, 
when addressing those issues, communities should 
consider the many factors contributing to a dog’s 
tendency to bite United States Postal Service em-
ployees and should enact model programs and legis-
lation addressing these various factors. 
Æ 
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