Silas Johnson sits on the porch of his home in the 800 block of Second Street in Williamsport on Tuesday. Johnson says he has not had mail delivery at his home in about three months. KAREN VIBERT-KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Residents in the 800 block of Second Street in Williamsport have not received their mail in quite some time unless they travel to the United States Postal Service office on Reach Road, about three miles west of where they live.

USPS administrators say a perceived threat from a large-breed dog that gets loose may result in them initiating a long-term solution as a convenience for residents and protection for the carriers.

“We are considering a change to the mode of delivery to a centralized delivery point as a remedy to protect our carrier while continuing to provide mail service to our customers in the area,” said Mark Lawrence, a USPS spokesman.

To address the issue, USPS said it may install a cluster mailbox kiosk and hand out keys to residents so they can open their individual smaller mailboxes.

The cluster box would be on the end of the block. It has not been determined whether locked boxes would be put closer to Maynard or Campbell streets. No other areas of the city are scheduled for cluster box installation at this time.

Residents, meanwhile, await the USPS decision.

“I have not gotten mail for three months,” said Silas Johnson, of 812 Second St.

In an interview on his front porch Tuesday, Johnson said he found out about the mail not being delivered to his residence when he was receiving late notice about not paying for bills.

“I didn’t know it,” he said, saying he only found out when he asked about it at the Reach Road post office, and was told his mail would show up and be sent from there.

USPS has a legal right to enact such solutions.

“If the carrier deems a residence is unsafe because of an unrestrained dog, mail delivery service can be interrupted or suspended delivery to that residence. “Moreover, USPS can suspend delivery to a block or neighborhood because of a dangerous dog or perceived threat,” USPS said in a prepared statement.

It does not matter whether a house posts a “Beware of Dog” sign or other warnings, if the dog is loose and not leashed or fenced in and the carrier is uncomfortable and threatened.

Sarah Morehart, a state dog warden, said via text a press release was being prepared that would have to be sent for legal review first. She declined to offer further comment. The office is under the state Department of Agriculture.

“We don’t want it to get to this,” said Robert Hess of Jersey Shore, whose brother lives on the block and also hadn’t received mail for quite a while.

“He missed two late bill payments,” Hess said, adding his brother, too, was not given any notice that mail delivery had stopped on the street.

“I can’t see asking a 90-year-old resident to walk down in the dark, in the snow, over the ice and pick up his or her mail,” Hess said.

Hess does not care whether the USPS can save the money at the expense and possible peril of residents on the block.

He provided a copy of a news report in Kansas City, Missouri, where the cluster box in a neighborhood was going to be installed but the national televised media attention stopped it.

Johnson said the large-breed dog is not mean and mostly kept inside. He said the dog gets loose and runs freely.

That is not what one Campbell Street man, sitting next to Johnson during the interview, said.

“The dog has teeth, right?” he asked. “The dog doesn’t know the mail carrier … so it can be a threat.”

Hess further suggested that the dog is being used as an excuse for the cluster box installation.

It is not a problem confined to Williamsport.

Across the nation, USPS views cluster boxes as a means of protecting mail carriers, lowering operational costs and increasing efficiency.

It costs about $353 a year-per-address for delivery at home, while it costs $160 per address a year at the cluster box, USPS said in a statement.

The cluster boxes save the federal agency on costs associated with gasoline, wear and tear on vehicles and enable the carrier to get more letters and mail to one centralized location with more efficiency, while feeling safe by not walking up to a residence where a protective or assertive dog may be.

Additionally, a trend has begun for builders of condominiums and apartments, who are putting in cluster box kiosks for the convenience of residents.

Nevertheless, homeowners with dogs, no matter whether they say they are friendly or not, must ensure the animal(s) are confined when delivery personnel approach a residence, or a cluster box may be installed, according to a USPS statement.

Additionally, more than 5,300 postal employees were attacked by dogs in the United States in 2022, the most recent information on attack statistics available.

From nips and bites to vicious attacks, aggressive dog behavior poses a serious threat to postal employees and people in general.

The dogs biting and threatening mail carriers and postal delivery personnel is a nationwide problem.

“Unfortunately, we continue to hover around the same number when it comes to Rover attacking our carriers,” said USPS spokesperson Paul Smith.

“In Philadelphia we had 32 attacks in 2021 and 26 in 2020. However, the state, as a whole, spiked up,” Smith said.

He continued: “We are appealing to every dog owner to please be mindful of

when our carriers are out in your neighborhood.”

This year’s theme for USPS is “Even good dogs have bad days.”

While it’s a dog’s natural instinct to protect their family and home, postal employees implore customers to act responsibly by taking safety precautions with their dogs while the mail is being delivered.

“When a carrier comes to the residence, keep the dog inside the house and

away from the door — or behind a fence on a leash — to avoid an attack.”

The dog threats to mail carriers is not a city-only issue. Throughout Lycoming County, dog attacks and reports of dogs running uncontrolled are heard daily on the police scanner.

Here are some tips from the USPS for protecting mail carriers while making their rounds:

• If a carrier delivers mail or packages to your front door, place your dog in a separate room and close that door before opening the front door. Some dogs burst through screen doors or plate-glass windows to attack visitors. Dog owners should keep the family pet secured.

• Parents should remind children and other family members not to take mail directly from carriers in the presence of the family pet, as the dog may view a person handing mail to a family member as a threatening gesture.

• The Postal Service places the safety of its employees as a top priority. If a carrier feels threatened by a dog, or if a dog is loose or unleashed, the owner may be asked to pick up mail at a Post Office until the carrier is assured the pet has been restrained. If a dog is roaming the neighborhood, the pet owner’s neighbors also may be asked to pick up mail at the area’s Post Office.

• Sign up for Informed Delivery. You’ll know when parcels are being delivered in advance of the actual delivery and can take precautions to keep your carrier safe.