SICKENING ATTACK Shock moment postie in England shirt ‘toe-punts’ blind Shih Tzu Ethel ‘like a football’ before pet tragically dies
THIS is the shocking moment a postie wearing an England shirt “toe-punted” a blind Shih Tzu “like a football” before the pet tragically died.
Owner Eve Lewis, 40, wept as she spoke of her beloved pooch Ethel in the wake of the vile attack – who died from organ failure on Sunday.
The previous day, an unidentified parcel delivery man booted the 11-year-old Shih Tzu at the front door in Aylesbury, Bucks, leaving her with fatal injuries.
Eve said the Royal Mail postman denied kicking the small pup after handing her a parcel at around 11am on Saturday.
But her Ring Doorbell footage shows the man, dressed in an England football shirt, hoofing Ethel so she flew through the air and rolled along the ground.
She told The Sun that the incident was particularly shocking as her dog was partially blind and only had one tooth, and therefore posed no threat to the worker.
Eve said: “He didn’t even 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. She went flying like she was a football.
“The thing is, the driver was walking away and still made the effort to turn around and kick her.”
“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.
“When the kids went to school and my partner went to work this morning there was just silence.”
It is understood the postman, whom Eve did not recognise, has been suspended by the Royal Mail as police investigate.
The NHS worker, who lives with her 5-year-old son along with their only surviving dog – Stanley, a three-year-old French bulldog – described the frantic moments after the attack.
She took Ethel to the vets’, who could not save her. They concluded that she died from organ failure caused by blunt force trauma.
Eve added: “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.”
“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.”
Eve made the decision to put Ethel down when her vets told her the dog had suffered irreversible brain damage.
A Royal Mail spokesperson 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.”
