The United States Postal Service released its annual report on dog bites this afternoon. The announcement reveals that 5,669 postal employees suffered from a dog bites last year--a figure that casts a shadow over the idea that mailmen only run from dogs in cartoons. Here are the top 10 cities for dog bites:

1. Houston, TX (62 letter carriers bitten)
2. Columbus, OH, and San Diego, CA (45 bites each)
3. Los Angeles, CA (44 bites)
4. Louisville, KY (40 bites)
5. San Antonio, TX, and St. Louis, MO (39 bites each)
6. Cleveland, OH, and Phoenix, AZ (38 bites each)
7. Minneapolis, MN, and Portland, OR (35 bites each)
8. Denver, CO, and Philadelphia, PA (31 bites each)
9. 9 Sacramento, CA (30 bites)
10. Seattle, WA (28 bites)

The list corresponds with with National Dog Bite Prevention Week which runs from May 15 to May 21. While the Postal Service is a bit lighthearted about confirming the caricature, dog bites are serious business and injure 4.7 million Americans a year and countless pets lose their lives as a consequence. Rule number one to avoid being bitten: don't run.

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Adam Clark Estes