SHELBURNE — A frightening dog has stopped mail delivery on Masonic Avenue, and the Selectboard wants the post office to restore service.
The street is a small dead-end road with about six or seven homes.
Mail carrier complaints made about this same dog two years ago were addressed by the dog’s owner, who installed an electric fence around her property and wooden fence in front of her yard, with a sign telling passersby the dog is confined by an electric fence.
Also, her mailbox is out by the road, so that mail carriers don’t have to walk onto her property. “The homeowner complied with all stipulations,” said Selectboard Chairman Robert Manners.
Apparently, a recent mail carrier did not know about the electric fence and was startled by the dog, which charged forward but did not go beyond the fence, according to information given to the Selectboard.
Selectmen said they received five abutters’ letters of support for the dog owner, as well as a letter from the animal control officer saying the pet owner has been in compliance with the earlier agreement. Also, the pet owner has offered to move her mailbox across the street from her home, if that would make mail carriers feel safer.
Selectmen said there are elders living on Masonic Avenue who now have to walk to the post office to pick up their mail, since delivery was stopped the first week of July. They are asking for service to be restored. As of July 10, mail delivery has not been restored. Shelburne Falls Postmaster Erik H. Doty declined to comment on the issue.