SOUTH SALT LAKE — Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet nor hail will prevent the mail from being delivered to a street in South Salt Lake. But a large dog will.
The U.S. Postal Service decided last week to stop delivering mail to Wentworth Avenue (2205 South) until a problem with a dog on the street can be resolved. The dog is a large Rottweiler-Doberman mix.
Postal Service spokeswoman Thelxi Hauenstein said the problem has been going on since September. The final straw came last week when the dog got loose and chased the mail carrier.
"She feels very threatened (by the dog)," said Hauenstein.
The Postal Service sent a letter to the 24 residents on the street that will be affected. "The United States Postal Service is not delivering mail on your street until the animal which is currently causing a threat to public safety is removed," the letter stated.
The Postal Service had contacted South Salt Lake Animal Control five times, Hauenstein said.
Neighbors have called police with several complaints, said officer Darin Sweeten. The problem was that every time officers got a report the dog was loose, it was already tied up by the time they got there, he said.
That changed last week when the owner was cited after the dog chased the letter carrier, Sweeten said. The owner was cited for having a "vicious dog at large." But Sweeten said there have been no reported cases of anyone being bitten.
This isn't the first time the dog and its owner have been in trouble. "The dog is already on probation," said Sweeten.
The owners had two dogs until recently, and police received reports that both dogs were running loose and frightening residents, said Sweeten. The family was cited and finally gave away the dog it thought was the problem after a judge put the owner on one-year probation.
Now the owner will be forced to go back to court over the latest incident. It could be several weeks before the issue is resolved. In the meantime, residents will be forced to pick up their mail at the post office.
"It's a shame this couldn't be resolved within the neighborhood," said Hauenstein. "This is really the only way we can get some resolution. We cannot jeopardize the carrier's safety."
When the Deseret News tried to knock on the owner's door, 173 E. Wentworth Ave., Monday, the dog was chained up in front but growled and barked at anyone who got close to the property.
A woman took the dog inside when a photographer with KSL TV arrived, but she refused to talk to the reporter.
An animal control officer also showed up Monday afternoon after receiving another complaint of the dog running loose. The complaint turned out to be false. The woman told the animal control officer she was "tired of being harassed."
Residents say getting their mail has become a huge pain.
Algernon Hoskins lives down the street from the dog. He said he had never seen it until he drove by the other day to see what was forcing mail service on the street to be stopped.
"It's not right," said Hoskins.
Instead of the mail being delivered to his apartment, Hoskins said he now has to travel to the post office and wait in line for 20 to 30 minutes. He only gets his mail every two or three days because his family works until 5:30 p.m. on most nights.
"There's gotta be something else they can do," Hoskins said. "It's not right they cut everyone off."
E-MAIL: preavy@desnews.com