SEATTLE -- It's something many of us take for granted: getting mail delivered to our homes. Yet for a group of neighbors in Ballard, that hasn't been an option for nearly three years.
And get this: they say it's all because of a family pet that has since passed away.
"It doesn't feel important until it's taken away from you," said Molly Tallon. "We've missed traffic tickets. We've missed letters from the federal government, from the state government. We have marks on our credit because we haven't been able to receive certain pieces of mail. Bills. All kinds of stuff."
Tallon says it was back in 2013 when her German Shepherd mix named Cooper apparently frightened a mail carrier on 8th Avenue NW.
"The mail carrier complained that our dog was viciously barking at her, and she felt threatened," said Tallon. "She didn't feel safe, so she refused to deliver."
Here's the problem: Cooper the dog died in 2014, but the mail delivery on 8th Avenue was never restored.
"We even gave the U.S.P.S. a death certificate for the dog," said Tallon. "It's been three years as of this month, I think."
Still, the mail hold continued, impacting not only Tallon's house but several of her neighbors as well.
"We have gone to the post office so many times and raised a fuss," said neighbor Heather Cole. "And it seems so simple, it's like we're all adults here, but it's impossible for them to grasp that people need their mail."
Tallon said she lost count of the number of calls and complaints she's filed with the postal service.
They eventually grew so frustrated, they contacted KING 5 for help.
A spokesperson for the U.S.P.S. said more than 6,000 mail carriers across the country were bitten or attacked by dogs in 2015. For that reason, he said delivery suspensions are sometimes needed.
But he admits the mail hold in Ballard should never have lasted as long as it did.
After researching the issue and speaking to staff at the Ballard mail distribution center, U.S.P.S. released the following statement in regards to the mail delivery suspension on 8th Avenue NW:
"The Postal Service is happy to report that service to all impacted customers has been restored and we apologize for the inconvenience."
Sure enough, on Tuesday afternoon, Tallon was stunned to see a mail carrier on her street.
"That makes me so happy! I want to cry," she said. "You just feel like mail service is one of those things that is just kinda an essential right of being an American citizen."
The carrier making the deliveries was new to that particular route, and wouldn't give any specifics about how or when he was asked to make the deliveries on 8th Avenue NW.
KING 5 has asked neighbors to provide updates about whether the mail delivery continues there on a regular basis.
