Postal Service stops service to Phoenix neighborhood

The Postal Service has suspended service to one Valley neighborhood, citing concern for the safety of their mail carriers as the cause.

According to ABC15, the Postal Service is worried about their carriers being bitten by stray dogs in the area around 28th Street and McDowell Road in Phoenix.

"The theory is that people no longer want their animals and they're going to this canal and just dumping their dogs in that canal area," said Julie Utley with the U.S. Postal Service in Phoenix.

Utley says that this year alone three mail carriers have been bitten while servicing that area.

Local residents are upset about the decision to suspend their mail service.

"As a taxpayer and a property owner, I ought to have a post office service," says Dale Johnson.

Residents of the area can come to the post office to get their mail Utley says, but the postal service has no desire to inconvenience any residents.

"We have to also keep in mind that we need to protect our carriers and prevent them from dog bites," she says.

Utley also says officials are talking about having a central mail spot placed in the area to make it easier for residents to get their mail and to protect their carriers.

Residents say that there aren't a lot of stray dogs in the area, and are afraid that they will have to begin paying for P.O. boxes, and do not want to have to leave their neighborhood to collect their mail.