Ranking first in dog bites is a title that no community strives to attain. To help reduce the number of dog bites across America, the American Veterinary Medical Association is offering Indiana residents concrete ways to help reduce the number of dog bites in their community during National Dog Bite Prevention Week.

As a partner in National Dog Bite Prevention Week, the United States Postal Service released its 2012 U.S. Postal Service Dog Attack City Rankings. Indiana ranks seventh for attacks of postal workers.

“Dogs are wonderful, intelligent and loyal creatures, but they depend on responsible owners to teach them how to behave around people,” said Dr. Douglas G. Aspros, president of the AVMA. “Understanding how dogs behave and how to behave around dogs could save countless people from the serious physical and emotional consequences of a dog bite. The AVMA has a multitude of educational resources and experts available to help individuals and community groups understand how they can help prevent dog bites.”