Postmen refuse to deliver my mail because my dog is “too loud”

An angry dog owner claims the Royal Mail is refusing to deliver his mail because his pet is “too loud”, but insists his dog has a “heart of gold”.

Neil Leaks, 62, says he has received only three letters in six months since moving to a new apartment after his postman complained about 10-year-old Buddy's barking.

Mr Leaks, from Ipswich, Suffolk, claims he missed medical appointments and health documents because of the problem and had to collect his Ipswich Town season ticket in person.

He said: “The first day I moved in, the mailman came and my dog was barking and he said, 'Your dog is too loud.'”

Since then, according to his owner, Buddy has saved Mr. Leaks’ life and “would never harm anyone.”

Neil Leaks, 62, says he has only received three letters in six months since moving to a new apartment after his postman complained about ten-year-old Buddy's loud barking

Mr Leaks, from Ipswich, Suffolk, claims he has missed doctor's appointments and health documents due to the problem and has had to collect his Ipswich Town season ticket in person.

The asthmatic insists the dog has a “heart of gold” and claims he even saved his life earlier this year by alerting neighbors that Mr. Leaky had choked on a grain of rice.

Mr Leaks said he was aware of Buddy's loud barking and took measures to keep his dog away from the mailbox.

“I put up a gate for safety so that Buddy wouldn't run out into the street and stay inside when the mailman comes,” he said, adding that the mailman continued to complain and in the end “I just never got my mail.”

Mr Leaks claimed that other residents in his building also had to go without food; one, for example, had to change his address to that of a neighbour in order to receive an important delivery.

The dog owner continued, “I've done everything I can. I've put up a gate, I've kept the door closed, I don't let Buddy out in the morning.”

“I had the area manager from Royal Mail here and she said Buddy was absolutely fine and there was no problem.”

Mr Leaks said his beloved pet's loudness came in handy when he saved his owner's life earlier this year by alerting neighbours after he suffocated.

The asthmatic said: “I was ill a few months ago when I choked on some rice and it got into my windpipe.”

“Buddy barked and scratched at my neighbor's door to save me. He knew it was bad. I spent three days in intensive care.

“He has a heart of gold and would never hurt anyone.”

“Even this morning I had a bad coughing fit and he barked at me until I could stop – he was very worried.

“I had to kiss and cuddle him to show him that I was okay.”

Mr Leaks said a postman claimed Buddy had attacked him, which he strongly denies.

He added: “I had the 5-foot-high gate put up in front of the door to show the mailmen that Buddy can't get out and hurt them. It covers the mailbox so they don't have to worry about being bitten either.

“I'm asthmatic, so I used to leave my front door open so the air could circulate and Buddy would run around a bit. But now I have to keep my door closed between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. – and the mail still doesn't come.”

Mr Leaks said he had to collect his mail from the sorting office and it was often two months late, but the Ipswich Royal Mail said they had regularly delivered Mr Leaks' mail “if the dog was kept away from the door”.

Mr Leaks said he had to collect his mail from the sorting office and it was often two months late, including birthday cards and letters from friends.

But the Royal Mail in Ipswich said it had regularly delivered Mr Leaks' mail “when the dog was kept away from the door”.

They confirmed that the customer operations manager for the area had also visited the property three times and was aware of the gate.

They stressed that the postman had to open the gate to access the mailbox and said that the problem of mail delivery only concerned Mr Leaks.

A Royal Mail spokesman said: “We are working with this customer to resolve the situation.”

“The well-being of our colleagues is our highest priority and we will take the necessary steps to ensure their safety in the workplace.”