Dog problem solved, street gets mail again

Recently a woman contacted the Ombudsman Office concerning mail delivery on her street. The woman reported that her mail, and the mail of her neighbors, had not been received for over a week. One of her neighbors contacted the branch manager of the USPS, who reported that the mail was going out with the mail carrier. The woman reported that the carrier had been seen in the neighborhood on nearby streets, but not on their street.

The Ombudsman contacted the USPS branch manager for that area about the neighbors’ concern. The manager explained that there had been a problem with loose dogs in the area. Postal regulations require that a letter carrier not attempt delivery of the mail to any address where an unrestrained dog is present. If the dog is roaming loose on a street the carrier can refuse delivery to the entire street. The manager worked with the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center and requested that they visit the neighborhood and catch the dogs. The neighborhood was again made safe for the carrier to deliver the mail. The Ombudsman called the woman to confirm that the mail was now being delivered to her and her neighbors.