The U.S. Postal Service released its top 30 dog attack city rankings and offered tips to reduce dog attacks to letter carriers Wednesday.

Nationwide, 5,581 postal employees were attacked last year.

Locally, one Niles letter carrier was attacked by a dog in 2013, according to postmaster Sean Dipert, who said the injury was very minor. Dipert said it is typical to get about one dog attack per year in Niles.

“There’s a myth we often hear at the Postal Service,” said Postal Service Manager of Safety Linda DeCarlo. “Don’t worry — my dog won’t bite. Dog attacks are a nationwide issue and not just a postal problem. Any dog can bite and all attacks are preventable through responsible pet ownership.”

Yet of the 4.5 million Americans bitten by dogs annually — half are children — according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The U.S. Postal Service, the medical community, veterinarians and the insurance industry are working together to educate the public that dog bites are avoidable by declaring May 18-24 as National Dog Bite Prevention Week.

DeCarlo encourages the news media to share the following tips when reporting on this critical issue.

• If a letter carrier delivers mail or packages to your front door, place your dog into a separate room and close the door before opening the front door. Dogs have been known to burst through screen doors or plate-glass windows to get at strangers.

• Dog owners should remind their children about the need to keep the family dog secured. Parents should remind their children not to take mail directly from letter carriers in the presence of the family pet as the dog may see handing mail to a child as a threatening gesture.

• The Postal Service places the safety of its employees as a top priority. If a letter carrier feels threatened by a vicious dog or if a dog is running loose, the owner may be asked to pick up the mail at the Post Office until the carrier is assured the pet has been restrained. If the dog is roaming the neighborhood, the pet owner’s neighbors may be asked to pick up their mail at the Post Office as well.

The post officer released its rankings as a prelude to today’s news conference kicking off National Dog Bite Prevention Week, May 18-24. The news conference will take place at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

2013 Dog Attack

Rankings by City (Top 10 plus Michigan)

1. Houston, Texas — 63

2. Los Angeles — 61

3. Cleveland, Ohio — 58

4. San Diego, Calif. — 53

5. Chicago — 47

6. Baltimore, Maryland — 46

7. Dallas — 45

8. Denver, Colorado — 41

9. Columbus, Ohio — 39

10. Kansas City, Missouri — 33

20. Detroit — 21