I once dreamed of living in LA. I also once took a United States Postal Service exam. The latter wasn't a dream, just what was in those pre-internet days a practical goal of job security and a good pension. I got 60%, enough to pass the exam but it didn't put me high on the list, so I was never hired. Actually, I'm surprised I got that good a score, as a portion of the test required memorizing addresses. I can barely remember my own! Anyway, had I gotten a job as a mailman, it would have been in Cleveland, not Los Angeles, and that may have been a good thing if the above chart is any indication, as it would have meant 40 less chances of getting bit. Finally, I ask that you not judge canine mailman-phobia too harshly. According to cartoonist Gary Larson, it may someday be our only hope:
You could be a Newman award winner
ReplyDeleteOr Larson, Ruby.
DeleteThe only thing I can glean from the chart is most of... no, that's not right, but I wonder why LA is so high.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, maybe it's all those Hollywood stars wanting to keep the paparazzi at bay, and the mailmen end up innocent bystanders.
ReplyDeleteOf course there are statistics on this! I wonder if there’s a city with zero USPS dog bites.
ReplyDeleteMitchell, wherever there's a city with zero dogs and zero mailmen.
DeleteIt's a problem over here too Kirk. I like the cartoon :-D
ReplyDeleteAnanka, it's always nice to have a good cartoon to go along with the statistics.
DeleteThere are many other reasons not to live in Los Angeles. Dog bites are the least of them.
ReplyDeleteI've heard the air can be difficult to breathe at times, David.
DeleteThis is just a guess, but it could be that the dog bites are higher in LA because either the dogs are not adequately socialized or because they are trained to attack. After all, how does the dog know whether it is a thief or legitimate delivery person?
ReplyDeleteLinda, my first thought was simply because it has a bigger population than the other cities mentioned. Except New York City wasn't mentioned at all, and that's the most populated city in the United States!
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