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Dog attack stops mail delivery on four blocks in Niagara Falls

Posted at 10:51 AM, Nov 04, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-04 18:51:32-04

Homes on two streets in Niagara Falls have their mail delivery stopped by USPS after a pit bull attacked a letter carrier on October 31.

The 5600 and 6000 block of Devlin Avenue and the 5600 and 6000 block of Frontier Avenue are impacted by the decision.

In a letter to postal customers, the USPS said the dog belongs to a home on Frontier Ave and "has been loose in the neighborhood on multiple occasions".

Mail delivery will be stopped "until this hazard is abated".  The postal worker was not injured in the incident, but needed to use dog spray to prevent any bites.

The homeowners whose address was identified in the letter from the post office deny their dog was involved.

"He gets out once in a while," Daniel Currie said about his pit bull Buddy.  "He's a non-viscous dog.  He's really shy.  He's never ran after or bitten anybody."

When neighbors showed him the letter explaining the halted service, Currie was confused.

"We were shocked," he said. "We were mad.  We just couldn't understand why our dog was being accused.  There are other dogs--other pit bulls--that are a lot meaner than Buddy."

Currie said animal control was at his house Friday morning, and agreed that Buddy wasn't the pit bull that had attacked the postal worker.  Niagara Falls animal control did not return any calls from 7Eyewitness News requesting information.

Regardless, Marlene Maikranz is worried about any aggressive dog getting loose near her home.

"I have kids running in and out of the house all day because I have a small daycare," she explained.  "And I have two foster kids that wait for the bus outside."

After reading the letter from USPS, that describes a pit bull being loose in the neighborhood on several occasions, Maikranz stopped letting any of the children play outside.

"It's kind of scary," she said. "It really is.  It's out of control.  If the mail isn't coming, it's out of control."

A supervisor with the LaSalle Post Office delivered some mail Friday afternoon, but a postal worker said they are not planning to return daily service yet.

Customers affected can still pick up their mail at the LaSalle Post Office.  Its hours are Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.