NEMT driver dog bites: dogs at the door, what to do after a bite, and rider pets in the van

Drivers walk the same path as mail carriers

Anyone whose job ends at a stranger’s front door meets dogs. The Postal Service counted more than 5,200 dog attacks on its employees in 2025. California led the states with 673 incidents, followed by Texas with 358 and Ohio with 287, and Los Angeles topped the cities with 70. The CDC says nearly 1 in 5 people bitten by a dog needs medical attention, and that any dog can bite, especially when it is scared, eating, or protecting toys or puppies.

NEMT drivers do the same walk several times a day. On door-through-door trips they also go inside the home, and the Postal Service notes that a dog with a steady routine can still turn on someone when it is startled or guarding its territory. Most of the prevention work happens before the van arrives.

Put the dog on the rider’s profile

The Postal Service gives carriers two warnings: handheld scanners with built-in dog alerts, and warning cards placed in the sorting cases for addresses with a dog. The NEMT version is a note on the rider’s profile that every driver sees before the pickup.

Ask at booking, and again when a standing order starts:

1. Is there a dog at the pickup address, and at the return address if it differs?
2. How big is it, and has it ever bitten anyone?
3. Where is it kept, and who will secure it before the driver arrives?
4. Is there a side or back door the driver should use instead?

Record the answers on the rider profile and keep them current. A new puppy or a relative’s dog visiting for the week changes the pickup, so drivers should report any dog that is not on the profile. The full booking call is in NEMT trip intake.

Ask riders to shut the dog away before pickup

The Postal Service’s advice to dog owners translates directly to a pickup:

• Put the dog in a separate room and close the door before opening the front door.
• If the rider steps outside, make sure the door behind them is firmly latched.
• Keep the dog leashed if it is outdoors when the van arrives.
• Never hand anything to the driver with the dog present, and teach children not to either. The Postal Service warns that a dog can read the handoff as a threat.

Say this to the rider when the trip is booked and repeat it in the reminder call or text. A rider with a walker or wheelchair may not be able to wrestle a large dog into a room at the last minute, so ask a caregiver to do it or agree on where the dog stays.

Repeat problems need a firmer answer. When a roaming dog makes a carrier feel unsafe, the Postal Service suspends delivery until it is safe again and has the residents collect their mail at the Post Office, and an unresolved dangerous dog can mean renting a P.O. box. Your written policy can follow the same logic: drivers wait at the vehicle or the sidewalk until the dog is secured, and dispatch tells the broker when a rider’s dog keeps blocking pickups.

When a loose dog is in the way

A loose dog between the van and the door stops the pickup until someone secures it. These steps keep the driver safe and the record clean:

1. Stay at the vehicle. Do not open a gate or walk into a yard with a loose dog. Postal carriers rattle a fence gate or make a non-threatening sound before entering a yard, and a driver can do the same from the sidewalk to see what comes out.
2. Call the rider, then dispatch. Ask the rider or caregiver to put the dog away. If nobody answers, dispatch keeps trying while the driver waits in the van.
3. If a dog approaches, follow the CDC’s advice. Stand still and calm, avoid direct eye contact, and say “no” or “go home” in a firm, deep voice with the side of your body toward the dog. Raise your hands slowly to your neck with elbows in, then wait for it to pass or back away slowly. Never run.
4. If a dog knocks you down, curl into a ball, tuck your head, and cover your ears and neck with your hands. Put a bag or jacket between you and the dog. Postal carriers are trained to use their mail satchel as a shield the same way.
5. Call animal control for a dog with no owner in sight. The CDC tells people to call animal control when they see a dog running loose.
6. Write it down. Note the time you arrived, each call attempt, and when dispatch told the broker. For any pickup other than curbside, MTM Health’s Virginia provider handbook has drivers identify themselves and make their arrival known at the door, so a pickup the driver could not safely reach needs a record that explains why.

After a bite: first aid, reporting, and paperwork

Treat the wound first and the paperwork second. The CDC’s steps:

• Minor wounds. Wash thoroughly with soap and water, apply an antibiotic cream, and cover with a clean bandage.
• Deep wounds. Press a clean, dry cloth on the wound to stop the bleeding and get medical care right away. Call 911 if the bleeding will not stop or the driver feels faint or weak.
• When to see a provider. A serious or deep wound, signs of infection, a dog whose rabies vaccination is unknown, or a last tetanus shot more than 5 years ago.

Then work through the rest the same day:

1. Get the rabies details. The CDC lists the vaccine license number, the veterinarian who gave it, and the owner’s name, address, and phone number.
2. Report the bite. The CDC advises reporting dog bites to the local animal control agency or police department, especially when the dog’s vaccination status is unknown or it seems sick.
3. Cover the trip. The rider still needs a ride. Dispatch sends another driver if the bitten driver is going for care.
4. Write the incident report. Use your incident report template and send the broker whatever its manual requires.
5. Open the workers’ compensation claim. A bite on the way to a rider’s door is an injury arising out of the job. In California, for example, Labor Code 3600 puts liability for compensation on the employer for those injuries without regard to negligence. Workers’ comp for NEMT covers how claims affect your premium.
6. Check the OSHA log. OSHA treats a tetanus shot as first aid but a rabies vaccine as medical treatment (29 CFR 1904.7), so a bite that leads to rabies shots is recordable. An employer that stayed at 10 or fewer employees for all of last year skips the log, unless a written request from OSHA or BLS says otherwise. Appendix A of the rule excuses some industries of any size, but it does not list ground passenger transportation or ambulance services. Every employer reports an in-patient hospitalization within 24 hours. OSHA for NEMT has the rest of the recordkeeping rules.

Rider pets and service animals in the van

A dog that rides is a different question from a dog at the door. Federal rules make covered transportation companies let service animals accompany riders with disabilities in vehicles and facilities (49 CFR 37.167(d)). The questions a driver may ask, and the narrow cases where an animal can be refused, are in service animals in NEMT. Under 28 CFR 36.302(c)(2), one of those cases is an animal out of control with a handler who does nothing effective to stop it.

Pets and emotional support animals are a policy choice, and brokers make it for their trips. TransLink in Oregon, which arranges rides for Jackson Care Connect, keeps emotional support animals, companion animals, and pets in enclosed carriers and asks riders to say at booking when a service animal is coming.

If you carry pets on private-pay trips, write down the size limit, the carrier rule, who handles the animal (the rider, never the driver), and how you clean the seat before the next rider, who may have allergies. The cleaning steps are in infection control for NEMT vans.

Teach drivers the carrier habits

Postal carriers get dog training as part of their safety program, and its four habits fit a NEMT safety meeting:

• Announce yourself before walking into a yard.
• Keep your eyes on the dog and never startle it.
• Assume any dog can bite. Do not pet or feed rider dogs, however friendly they seem.
• Block the exit. Hold an outward-swinging door with your foot so a pet cannot slip past.

Add a dog scenario to your safety meeting topics once a year and review any bites or close calls with the whole team.

Where software helps

HealthRide sends riders automatic text reminders about their trips, so they are ready when the vehicle arrives. Tell dog owners at booking that ready means the dog is already behind a closed door. Drivers and dispatch also message each other directly in the app, so a driver waiting at a gate with a loose dog reaches the office without a phone call. See team chat.