After 38 years of stuffing mailboxes, San Antonio mail carrier Freddie Aquiles has had his share of run-ins with dogs — from being chomped on the ankle during a torrential rainstorm, to an attack by a 100-plus pound Rottweiler that required police intervention.

So Aquiles, 56, isn’t surprised that on a list of cities, U.S. Postal Service this week ranked San Antonio the sixth-worst in America for dog bites to letter carriers, tied with St. Louis.

Houston was No. 1.

“More people have more dogs, more than ever,” Aquiles said. “They’re keeping dogs around the house to startle intruders. I understand it. It’s a security issue.”

Whatever the reason, San Antonio Postmaster Steven Hernandez has seen enough. Last year, 39 of his carriers were bitten. And this year’s numbers could go higher, based on bite reports to date.

“It’s a dangerous situation, and not just for the letter carriers,” Hernandez said. “School’s going to be letting out soon and we hear about so many children being bitten or disfigured when dogs are out. We think it’s in the best interest of the city for all of our citizens to be responsible with the spaying and neutering, and keeping their dogs contained within their yards.”

Hernandez cited a few problem neighborhoods for carriers, among them ZIP codes 78201, in the Beacon Hill area; 78204; and 78207.

Nationwide, the Postal Service is highlighting the problem with an awareness campaign. Last year, 5,669 postal workers were bitten, resulting in almost $1.2 million in medical costs.

“What we’re trying to do is promote responsible pet ownership,” said Mark Saunders, a spokesman for the agency. “A lot of us are dog owners, including myself. We just want people to restrain their pets when we come to deliver their mail.”

Carriers are trained to deal with unfriendly dogs — not to look them in the eye, to use their mail bag as a shield and to use the little pepper spray canisters they’re all equipped with.

Carriers on unfamiliar routes are given cards identifying problem dogs. And in rare cases, they halt delivery to a home or even a neighborhood until owners resolve the problem.

But attacks still happen. Just last week, Hernandez said, a carrier was bitten by a pit bull. Perhaps the worst local attack came in 2004, when carrier Maria Contreras was nearly killed in a pit bull attack on her West Side route. She was bitten 16 times and spent three days in the hospital.

Because the problem is so bad in San Antonio, Hernandez said, the city’s Animal Control Services staff have given safety talks at most local post offices. ACS supervisors have given carriers their personal phone numbers to report problems.

But in the end, it’s the community that has to step up, Saunders said.

“It’s in everybody’s interest to promote responsible pet ownership — for their children more than anybody else,” Saunders said.