Paw print stickers placed on mailboxes are an official safety marker used by local post offices (such as the United States Postal Service).

Purpose of the Sticker

• Mail Carrier Alert: The stickers warn letter carriers that a dog resides at or immediately adjacent to that address so they can approach with caution.
• Color Code System:
  • Sticker on your mailbox: Indicates a dog lives at your home.
  • Sticker on a neighbor’s mailbox: In many regional USPS programs (often using yellow vs. orange stickers), a sticker on a house with no dogs signals that a neighboring house has a dog, alerting the carrier as they walk between properties.

Debunking Viral Myths

Sensationalized social media posts often claim these stickers are placed by criminals to “mark” houses for burglary or pet theft. This is entirely false. The markers are applied exclusively by postal authorities to prevent worker dog bites. Many post offices have since phased out physical stickers in favor of digital warnings on carriers’ handheld GPS scanners, but old stickers frequently remain on mailboxes.