Roving dogs stop door-to-door mail delivery in Bellingham neighborhood

ISABELLE DILLS - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

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BELLINGHAM - Several loose dogs have caused the U.S. Postal Service to stop door-to-door mail delivery in the 2500 block of Toledo Street.

The 30 affected residences are now getting mail from two cluster boxes that have been installed on the block. Each cluster box has 16 mailboxes.

"Folks in that area have been repeatedly warned to keep dogs under control," said Ernie Swanson, spokesman for the Seattle District of the Postal Service. "We have to protect the welfare of our carriers."

Steve Villaroman, a Toledo Street resident who is not a dog owner, said the post office delivered the first warning letters about two months ago.

"I didn't hear anything more after that and assumed it was taken care of," Villaroman said.

But on April 8, residents received a second letter informing them of the cluster mailbox installation.

"I would have appreciated a little more information (prior to the installation)," Villaroman said.

For the past year, the Whatcom Humane Society has received several calls from concerned residents complaining of loose dogs on Toledo Street, said Laura Clark, community outreach director for the Whatcom Humane Society. The residents have reported the dogs are pit bulls or pit bull mixes.

None of the callers have ever reported any bites or attacks, but animal control officers routinely patrol the neighborhood as a precaution, Clark said.

It is a fairly common procedure to stop delivering mail door-to-door if loose dogs pose a threat to mail carriers, Swanson said. Even if the dogs are kept under control, at this point, door-to-door mail delivery will not resume, he said.

"The number one priority is the safety of our employees," Bellingham Postmaster Scott Maneer said.