For as long as anyone in Marine on St. Croix can remember, dogs have been welcome at the village's post office. Post office employees even kept a dish of dog biscuits on the counter for their furry friends.
No more.
Residents learned last week that a longstanding U.S. Postal Service policy barring all dogs except service dogs in the post office would now be strictly enforced.
Blaire, Linda Tibbetts' West Highland white terrier, was crushed when she learned the news.
"She looked so disappointed. Very sad," said Tibbetts, who has lived in Marine since 1996. "You can take them to the post office and get a biscuit, you can take them to the bank and get a biscuit, you can take them to Ostlund's (gas station) and get a biscuit. You never have to feed your dog."
Some say the pooch prohibition marks the end of an era for Marine.
"Another small town tradition goes away," said longtime Marine resident and dog lover Cynthia Jepsen. "A post office is a place that you're in for a few seconds, and a dog in a post office is about as harmless as it gets."
"It's just a little more erosion of the character of the village," said former Marine City Council member Robin Brooksbank, who owns two "pound puppies" named Sam and Rocky. "But if there are people who aren't comfortable being around dogs, I guess I can understand it."
A U.S. Postal Service spokesman said a complaint from someone who is allergic to dogs led to the crackdown.
"Dogs and other animals -- except those used to assist persons with disabilities -- must not be brought onto postal property for other than official purposes," said Pete Nowacki, spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service.
Nowacki said he suspects the policy might have been overlooked in Marine. But once someone complained, the postal service took swift action, he said.
"We do have customers who are uncomfortable with dogs, and customers with allergies," he said. "When someone complained, we said, 'You're right, dogs are not allowed in here.'"
But Jepsen said she will miss seeing dogs in the post office when she goes to collect her mail.
"All the dogs knew that there were treats (at the post office). The dogs would stand there and wag their tails."
Marine is a place that loves its dogs. Boozer, a Basset hound mix, roamed from home to home for years, slept alongside Minnesota 95 and wore a tag that identified his owner as the village of Marine.
Boozer even had his own bank account at Security State Bank of Marine; the money was used to spring him from the pound whenever animal-control officers picked him up.
"Boozer had his own float in the Fourth of July parade, often accompanied by the Booz-ettes marching with bones in their ponytails," wrote Ruth Gordon in "It Takes a Dog to Raise a Village: True Stories of Remarkable Canine Vagabonds." "He once collected six write-in votes for mayor, rode on the paddle wheeler to celebrate Marine's sesquicentennial, and regularly attended the New Year's Eve dance and the Octoberfest held at the Village Hall."
Boozer "adopted the town, and we adopted Boozer," said Toni Poletes of Ostlund's Marine Garage in Marine on St. Croix. "Ever since then, I think, people have had a very tender spot for dogs here."
Poletes was surprised to learn Wednesday that the post office would no longer welcome animals.
"That's ridiculous," Poletes said. She and co-owner John Ostlund keep a wide array of snacks on hand for their customers' canines.
"The dogs are just like the people. We know the dogs, as well as the owners," she said. "People treat their dogs like they would their children. They're just loved so very well."
Mary Divine can be reached at 651-228-5443. Follow her at twitter.com/MaryEDivine.
via www.twincities.com/washingtoncounty/ci_24015901/marine-st-croixs-dog-lovers-howl-at-post
No more.
Residents learned last week that a longstanding U.S. Postal Service policy barring all dogs except service dogs in the post office would now be strictly enforced.
Blaire, Linda Tibbetts' West Highland white terrier, was crushed when she learned the news.
"She looked so disappointed. Very sad," said Tibbetts, who has lived in Marine since 1996. "You can take them to the post office and get a biscuit, you can take them to the bank and get a biscuit, you can take them to Ostlund's (gas station) and get a biscuit. You never have to feed your dog."
Some say the pooch prohibition marks the end of an era for Marine.
"Another small town tradition goes away," said longtime Marine resident and dog lover Cynthia Jepsen. "A post office is a place that you're in for a few seconds, and a dog in a post office is about as harmless as it gets."
"It's just a little more erosion of the character of the village," said former Marine City Council member Robin Brooksbank, who owns two "pound puppies" named Sam and Rocky. "But if there are people who aren't comfortable being around dogs, I guess I can understand it."
A U.S. Postal Service spokesman said a complaint from someone who is allergic to dogs led to the crackdown.
"Dogs and other animals -- except those used to assist persons with disabilities -- must not be brought onto postal property for other than official purposes," said Pete Nowacki, spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service.
Nowacki said he suspects the policy might have been overlooked in Marine. But once someone complained, the postal service took swift action, he said.
"We do have customers who are uncomfortable with dogs, and customers with allergies," he said. "When someone complained, we said, 'You're right, dogs are not allowed in here.'"
But Jepsen said she will miss seeing dogs in the post office when she goes to collect her mail.
"All the dogs knew that there were treats (at the post office). The dogs would stand there and wag their tails."
Marine is a place that loves its dogs. Boozer, a Basset hound mix, roamed from home to home for years, slept alongside Minnesota 95 and wore a tag that identified his owner as the village of Marine.
Boozer even had his own bank account at Security State Bank of Marine; the money was used to spring him from the pound whenever animal-control officers picked him up.
"Boozer had his own float in the Fourth of July parade, often accompanied by the Booz-ettes marching with bones in their ponytails," wrote Ruth Gordon in "It Takes a Dog to Raise a Village: True Stories of Remarkable Canine Vagabonds." "He once collected six write-in votes for mayor, rode on the paddle wheeler to celebrate Marine's sesquicentennial, and regularly attended the New Year's Eve dance and the Octoberfest held at the Village Hall."
Boozer "adopted the town, and we adopted Boozer," said Toni Poletes of Ostlund's Marine Garage in Marine on St. Croix. "Ever since then, I think, people have had a very tender spot for dogs here."
Poletes was surprised to learn Wednesday that the post office would no longer welcome animals.
"That's ridiculous," Poletes said. She and co-owner John Ostlund keep a wide array of snacks on hand for their customers' canines.
"The dogs are just like the people. We know the dogs, as well as the owners," she said. "People treat their dogs like they would their children. They're just loved so very well."
Mary Divine can be reached at 651-228-5443. Follow her at twitter.com/MaryEDivine.
via www.twincities.com/washingtoncounty/ci_24015901/marine-st-croixs-dog-lovers-howl-at-post
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