Only a dog lover can understand the unconditional love and companionship our canine friends bring into our lives. But everyone can understand human decency. Except maybe United Parcel Service.
A Bellingham, Washington, family is devastated after a UPS driver ran over their dog on April 11 and left a pathetic note on their door telling them where to find their pet, according to KING.
Cynthia Wakelin was not at home when the delivery driver backed over her 14-year-old dog, Toby, according to KMOV News. The driver left a note, and it is heartbreaking.
This is what Wakelin and her children came home to:
Why on earth would the driver do such a thing? Company policy, that’s why. UPS policy dictates that in the event of killing a family pet, the driver knocks at the door, then leaves a note. The driver did move Toby out of the way behind a log on the wooded lot, so the family wouldn’t see his body immediately.
Wakelin called UPS and was told, “At least he had the heart to leave a note and didn’t just leave your dog dead on your driveway,” she alleges.
The company did then send a representative to her house, who arrived as the driver was arriving to re-deliver the package. How did he think that was going to go?
“UPS apologized to the customer for this unfortunate incident. Our local manager personally visited the customer and gave our condolences. The driver involved has been disciplined, and the company will make a goodwill payment to the customer,” spokesman Dan Mackin said.
This is not a new problem for UPS. In July 2014, a Missouri driver killed a 9-year-old boxer who was on the family property, guarded by an electronic leash system, according to WDAF.
The family came home to find the dog’s body in the front yard along with the following note:
We understand that drivers have a responsibility to carry out their routes, often on a punishingly tight time frame. That does not excuse the level of callous behavior exhibited after killing these beloved pets.
Every UPS delivery has a contact phone number, and Toby had Wakelin’s phone number on his collar. The company should have contacted her and immediately sent a representative to meet them at home so the driver could continue, or made other arrangements that showed they care instead of treating these dogs like a shrub they ran over.
The responsibility for this heartbreaking incident rests squarely on UPS’ heartless policy, and that policy needs to be changed.
(via: Conservative Tribune)
