IV 111th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 355 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; 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 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 bite risk to people through increased exposure to unfamiliar 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 non-breed-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

That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 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 American Veterinary Medical Association and the American 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 employees from receiving dog bite injuries and protecting 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 employees and should enact model programs and legislation addressing these various factors.