When about 8,000 letter carriers are bitten by dogs every year, you can’t blame the U.S. Postal Service for biting back. The hazard of dogs nipping at postmen’s legs is age-old. Most communities have ordinances that require keeping canines on leash or otherwise contained. That ought to control the situation but it doesn’t. Threats by the Postal Service to sue anyone responsible for an injury to a postal employee whether because of an untethered dog, a slippery porch step or an automobile accident – apparently represents a broad move to defend postal personnel. Dog attacks are most frequent in summertime when youngsters are home and pets often are allowed by the owners to run loose, ordinances to the contrary. The average dog bite costs the Postal Service about $300 in medical bills and lost work. Officials estimate the annual cost of bites at around $2.4 million, reports the Wall Street Journal. Apparently the prime assistance being given by the Postal Service is helping individual letter carriers put together evidence they need to seek damages from dog owners. A Utah lawyer, Kelly Cardon of Ogden, told the Journal one of his clients, a substitute letter carrier. is suing a couple for $200,000, claiming their- 120-pound St. Bernard attacked him, tearing knee ligaments. The Posta’l Service sometimes presses a case when individual carriers demur. Its 13-state western region has handled about 80 cases since last spring, with settlements averaging $50 but sometimes going as high as $700. Usually it’s an out-of-court settlement. Some owners of dogs are concerned about a proliferation of suits that seek liberal payments. Be that as it may, postmen are entitled to safe passage when they approach a home to deliver the mail; The Postal Service last year spent $264,021 on dog repellent, reflecting its concem with the problem. Dog owners who don’t want to take a chance on getting bitten themselves with a lawsuit or out-ofcourt claim need to give the problem some consideration…and not wait for a confrontation to happen.