It can be ruff for some postal workers — especially when they’re dealing with dogs in California.

The Golden State last year had the most incidents in which a mail carrier was bitten by a dog, according to the U.S. Postal Service’s annual dog-bite rankings, released last week.

California’s 675 dog bite incidents in 2022 were far ahead of Texas (404), New York (321), Pennsylvania (313) and Ohio (311). All states within the top five saw an increase in postal workers being bitten by dogs, except for Ohio.

The city with the most reported dog bites is in Texas: Houston had 57 incidents to top the cities’ list. Not far behind was Los Angeles (48), followed by Dallas (44), Cleveland (43) and San Diego (39).

“When letter carriers deliver mail in our communities, dogs that are not secured or leashed can become a nemesis and unpredictable and attack,” Leeann Theriault, USPS employee safety and health awareness manager, said in a press release. “Help us deliver your mail safely by keeping your dog secure and out of the way before your carrier arrives.”

The Postal Service has systems in place to alert letter carriers about dog trouble, including digital alerts and warning cards tagged with a home’s mail. 

USPS also trains letter carriers on how to avoid being bitten, such as alerting dogs when entering a yard, keeping their eyes on a dog and never assuming that a dog won’t bite.

The USPS noted that many attacks occur even after postal workers are assured by owners that a dog won’t bite.

• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.