Mail Order On Dogs: Post Office Pooch Issues Cause Residents To Wait For Mail

The Doniphan City Council heard more appeals at its April 2 meeting by guests asking for a solution to the growing problem of dogs running loose in town.

Doniphan resident Tammy Price told the council that she and others are not able to receive their mail deliveries because of dogs--not her dogs, but mostly unrestrained dogs that belong to her neighbors.

Doniphan continues to have a large number of strays; however, there are also dog owners who are blatantly disregarding the city’s leash ordinance as well.

Price stated that’s the problem she is facing. One of her neighbors has three dogs which are consistently loose. She said her husband receives large parcels that are unable to be delivered due to the dogs.

Price told the council, “We received a notice that the post office would be holding our mail until the issue is resolved. So, we put up a mail box. But that doesn’t really fix our problem, because often the parcels won’t fit in the box.”

Adding to the inconvenience of not getting their parcels as they arrive, Price stated the post office is closed by the time she and her husband get off work.

Price stated she has called the police department about the dogs being loose, and officers have always been good to respond; however, “I know they have better things to do than chase dogs,” she said.

Doniphan Postmaster Felicia Van Veckhoven and Supervisor Rita Dillinger were present at the meeting to answer questions about their dog policy and also to find out what the city might be able to do to help find a solution to what is becoming an ongoing problem for them, as well.

“The post office does not want to have to hold mail. It actually creates more work for us,” said Dillinger.

She said the post office doesn’t take action until they see that a dog is “consistently loose.” Then the decision is made to issue a mail hold notice to the residents who live within that area.

Van Veckhoven explained that nationally, the United States Postal Service has a policy that its mail carriers are not allowed to leave their vehicles if there is a loose dog within range.

Van Veckhoven said, “It’s about safety. It doesn’t matter whether the dog is [obviously] vicious or not. A mail carrier can’t know for sure whether a dog will bite.”

In fact, according to policy, “Carriers who leave the vehicle and get bit, lose their jobs,” Dillinger told the council.

She said several of the local mail carriers are actually more concerned about the welfare of the loose dogs than the owners are.

“They worry that the dogs will get run over,” said Dillinger.

The questions posed to the council and city police, were: how are the leash ordinances being enforced, and would the city consider re-opening the dog pound.

Police Chief Mark Rodgers stated that whenever possible the officers do issue citations for leash law violations.

It’s not easy to establish ownership, said Rodgers, and, “part of the problem is that when officers try to serve the citations, people just won’t answer the door.”

It was suggested that citations be mailed. Rodgers said that is possible.

However, he also said most of the violators are not just negligent about the care of their animals but also negligent about paying their fines.

“Until the money actually comes out of their pockets, citations don’t help much,” said Rodgers.

In regard to re-opening the city dog pound, Mayor Dennis Cox said, “This is a topic which has come up for discussion several times.”

He said the city initially closed the pound because operating costs were prohibitive in terms of care and maintenance.

Also, unclaimed dogs had to be euthanized, and, given the volume of strays, that was very expensive.

“There is a possibility we would have help with the situation, now,” said Cox.

He stated there is a veterinarian who lives in the area who has spoken to the council about stray animals. He said he will do some research to find out what arrangements might be made with the animal clinic with regard to the dog problem and perhaps revisit the possibility of reopening the city pound.