One Dog, No Mail

There’s a very unpopular dog in Fairfield’s 4^th ward.

It was revealed at Tuesday night’s city council meeting that mail delivery had been suspended to several homes on Southwest 11^th  and Cheffield Drive because of one dog who has been allowed to roam free by its owner. It has been deemed dangerous by the U.S. Postal Service.

That means several adjacent homeowners have been cut off. Their mail is only available if they pick it up at the post office. They have been told by the postmaster to get mailboxes on the road so their mail can be delivered by a postal vehicle.

The Police Chief says his department has been called once. His officers responded with the Humane Society, but nobody was bitten. That means the dog can’t be seized. A ticket can be written for violation of the leash law. That is all that could be done.

If the dog is seen on the loose, neighbors can call and the police can write a ticket…..but unless someone gets bitten….there is no way for the dog to be seized. That means over 20 neighbors have to pick up their mail at the post office…and will have to buy and install a mailbox on the road for future delivery.

This is not something that can be handled at the local cop shop or with aldermen. It’s a federal issue. But I would consider “putting some teeth” into the local ordinance to allow the city to intercede when a dog is able to terrorize an entire neighborhood.

Fido needs to go.