Paw Print on a Missouri Mailbox? This is Why & the Color Matters

My dad was a postal carrier for much of his life and this issue is near and dear to my heart. If you see paw prints on a mailbox in Missouri, there's a very good reason it's there and the color really does matter.

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It's becoming a more common sight and there's even talk that this could become a law. As the website Medium mentioned, many residents in states across America including Missouri are putting paw print stickers on their mailbox.

Missouri is one of the states where dogs attacking mail carriers is a serious problem. The Show Me State is listed as the 9th worst state for postal carrier attacks by dogs. Both St. Louis and Kansas City are listed as some of the worst cities for dog attacks on couriers, too.

What do the paw print colors mean on a mailbox?

Yellow - that means there's a dog in the neighborhood which is within the radius of this residence.

Orange - this means there is a dog present in the house or in the yard of that home.

The Dogington Post (appropriate website name for a dog website) says that in some states the mail carriers themselves are placing the stickers on the mailboxes as a warning for any other carriers who might end up on that route.

So if you see paw prints on a mailbox, whatever you do don't mess with them. It could be a necessary warning for a mail carrier to beware of the canine who is within reach of them as they do their job.