Postman caught kicking blind dog ‘like a football’ before it died of injuries days later
A woman has been left 'heartbroken and angry' after her blind dog sadly died just days after being kicked by a Royal Mail postman.
The postman initially denied kicking Ethel the 11-year-old Shih Tzu before Ring camera footage exposed his shocking actions, with owner Eve Lewis suggesting that he 'toe punted her like she was a football' just moments after handing over a parcel.
Panicked following the attack, the NHS worker rushed Ethel to the vets but was tragically told that the dog stood very little chance of survival.
Recounting the traumatic experience, Eve said: "The driver was walking away and still made the effort to turn around and kick her.
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"He didn’t just kick her, he toe punted her like she was a football. She flew up in the air and hit the ground and rolled three times.
"Her blood pressure dropped and they put tubes up her nose. Then they said there’s internal bleeding.
"At this point, I’m thinking, 'This literally can’t be happening.' From then on, it was just a complete blur.
"I went home overnight, but when I came back to the vets’ in the morning, she was pretty much already out of it."
Sadly, Eve was then forced into the decision that no dog owner wants to make, as she made the heartbreaking call to put Ethel down after she learned that the senior dog had suffered irreversible brain damage from the attack.
She told The Sun: "We always called her Ethel 2.0 because after every surgery she had she would bounce back, but she didn’t make it this time. She was an old gal.
"I just don’t want this to happen to anyone else. I’m heartbroken and angry. I’ve gone through about 100 packs of tissues."
Postal workers and dogs never seem to get along and sadly this isn't the only recent case of this ilk, as a 'cruel' postie was caught kicking a cockapoo puppy in the face last year.
Pet owners can land themselves in trouble if their dog is deemed to be out of control around a postal officers suffering a significant number of injuries each year after being bitten.
However, in this case it was clear that Ethel posed no threat, since she was blind and had just one tooth.
A Royal Mail spokesman said: ‘We are deeply sorry for this distressing incident, and we know how upsetting it is for the family.
‘We are treating this matter very seriously. We have seen the footage and launched a full investigation to establish the circumstances. We have also confirmed to the family that we will cover the veterinary costs.
‘We take animal welfare and the safety of our people very seriously. Dog-related incidents can present a serious risk to postal workers, and we will take any appropriate action once our investigation is complete.’
A Thames Valley police spokesman said: 'No arrests have been made but there are ongoing enquiries regarding animal welfare and criminal damage incidents.'
James Moorhouse