WINONA POOCH SENDS CANADA POST PACKING

SAFETY CONCERNS PROMPT PLAN TO MOVE COMMUNITY MAILBOX

In the battle between letter carriers and dogs, score this one for the pooch.

Canada Post says it will relocate a community mailbox on Highway 8 in Winona because a nearby dog, known for running loose, is threatening the safety of staff and custom

ers. In the meantime customers of the existing mailbox, located next to the Mountain Grill restaurant, will have to travel more than six kilometres to get their mail at the Canada Post mail processing plant on Millen Road in Stoney Creek.

"Our local safety and operations teams are working to resolve the situation and resume delivery as soon as possible," Canada Post spokesperson Phil Rogers said via email. "Our delivery agent has had several encounters with the dog. This is a serious cause of concern for our delivery agent and our customers who regularly visit that community mailbox."

Lori Popp, co-owner of nearby Memphis Fire restaurant, said requiring customers to go to Millen Road to get mail is "an odd solution," especially since the Winona post office is far closer — less than a kilometre-and-a-half away.

"This takes us out of our way to go down through a gate, through security, to pick it up," Popp said of the Millen Road processing plant. "It's difficult, and it takes extra time and when you're a business owner you don't have extra time."

She said the other obvious solution is to deal with the dog, which does bark at her at times, but is usually on a leash.

Mike Vidovic, owner of GNV Auto Sales, located across the road from the existing community mailbox, agreed Canada Post's interim solution "doesn't make much sense" and is a bit of an inconvenience.

He said the older dog in question "is constantly off its leash," but doesn't seem aggressive and he's never seen it attack anyone. "It does bark and it isn't on a leash or not within a fenced area, so some people might be afraid that it might attack," Vidovic said. "You'd think you'd talk to the owner of the dog and the property, but I haven't seen (the dog) for a couple months, to be honest."

Rogers said Canada Post has "worked closely" with the city and animal control, but is moving ahead with relocating the community mailbox and appreciates customers' patience.

He said an estimated 36 per cent of homes served by Canada Post have dogs, and their owners are urged to keep them secure and at a safe distance when mail is being delivered.

"Many of our employees are dog lovers and dog owners, but they can still experience threatening dogs, bites and other injuries that can be quite serious," Rogers said.

"The reality is that it's impossible to know how any dog will react — protective, playful or otherwise — when our employees are delivering the mail."