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He's a harmless little thing, say owners
It's a vicious, says one neighbour
A tiny terrier has forced Royal Mail to suspend deliveries to a street due to fears for their postmen's safety.
Peggy has brought the mail service in Dorset Gardens, Northampton, to a standstill because of the threat posed to postmen.
The Yorkshire Terrier has developed a reputation as an aggressive dog among residents - despite barely reaching above their ankles.
But her owners insist she is harmless and only growls at the postmen on their rounds and has never attacked them.
Owner Patrick Joyce, 25, said: 'The house is full of kids and she would never harm them. She's just a harmless little thing.'
However, alleged 'repeated attacks' on a postal worker were enough to prompt Royal Mail to stop delivering to residents since December 7 last year.
In a letter delivered to residents, delivery manager Jim Evelyn said: 'Because of the dog's behaviour, your postman believes your mail cannot be delivered safely and in the circumstances I have instructed him not to deliver mail to your address.'
Angry residents claim they now have to go on a 14-mile round journey to collect their mail or pay a 'small charge' to have it delivered to an alternative address.
One nearby resident, who asked not to be named, said: 'It is a vicious little thing and I have seen it going for the postman. I don't have a car and it's £30 to get the post delivered somewhere else.'
Another resident who has lived in the road for eight years, said: 'Not receiving post for a month is ridiculous. At first we were told it would just be two weeks and then we haven't been told anything.
'It is a 14-mile round trip to pick up your mail and some old people on the street aren't able to travel there at all. You don't know what important mail you are missing. Someone needs to do something.'
Royal Mail stopped deliveries to the street and a spokesman said it was working with local authorities to resolve the situation.
He said: 'Royal Mail takes very seriously the safety of its employees. Unfortunately, animal attacks are a hazard faced by our employees.
'Our main aim is to prevent attacks. We look for the co-operation of our customers and we encourage the public to take responsibility for keeping their pets under control.
'In extreme cases, Royal Mail may stop delivering mail to addresses where there is a particular problem - but this only happens as a last resort.'
Northampton Borough Council confirmed that it had received complaints from the neighbourhood about the dog following the attack on the postman and would be taking action.
A spokesman said: 'In December our housing officers received reports from Royal Mail and concerned neighbours that one of our tenants was failing to control an aggressive dog.
'We visited the property to meet with the tenant and agreed with them that their pet would be kept on a leash when outside and that steps would be taken to prevent the dog from escaping the property.
'Unfortunately we had further complaints that the dog was a nuisance to the neighbourhood, leaving the property and acting aggressively.
'We again tried to work with the tenant to get them to control their pet, however as the problem has continued we were left with no option but to request the dog be rehomed.
'We wrote to the tenant on January 6 to inform them that they had seven days to rehome their dog. We are monitoring the situation and are considering taking legal action, which could result in the tenant losing their house.'
Northamptonshire Police were contacted about the incident, but due to the attack occurring on private property, they were unable to get involved.
They did confirm there were no puncture wounds or blood injuries in relation to the attack.
