One day when Alfonso Galindo arrived home, he found Pupa, his 7-year-old poodle mix, acting oddly.
Once again the unusual stains were found on his patio. He also noticed Pupa rolling on the ground, seemingly trying to wipe something away from her eyes, Alfonso told Inside Edition.
Alfonso went straight to the surveillance footage.
But nothing could have prepare him for the distressful discovery.
“It’s heartbreaking to see, it really is, to see our dog suffering in that manner,” Alfonso said.
As he went further back in the saved footage, he saw something even more disturbing.
The video showed Pupa waiting safely behind a metal gate as a postal worker approaches, carrying mail.
From under the pile of letters, Alfonso said the worker pulls out something and hits Pupa with it.
Pupa is no threat behind the gate fence, but that didn’t stop the mailman from pulling the trigger on what appears to be a can of pepper spray hanging from his wrist, spraying through the fence toward Pupa.
“You can see his finger on the trigger,” said Galindo as he showed Inside Edition the video.
“He decides to walk right in front of the gate and nonchalantly spray the dog.”
When poor Pupa falls to the ground in obvious distress, the mailman deposits the mail and carries on as nothing happened.
Alfonso started reviewing month’s worth of the saved footage and Alfonso discovered that the spraying happened not once, but 11 times.
The family dog appeared to be sprayed by the same mailman every time.
According to Alfonso, his family never received any complaints about Pupa.
“My gate is over here, where my dog is obviously behind,” Alfonso said, showing that his dog is kept 3 feet from the mail box.
Unfortunately, it was not just Pupa who suffered from this abusive postman.
The spray affected the children as well, who were exposed to the spray as they played with their beloved dog.
“They’ve been sick with respiratory issues,” he said.
Alfonso explained that his family had visited the emergency room “countless” times because both 3-year old Alfonso Jr and 1-year old Regina suffered respiratory problems.
A couple a weeks ago, both children were diagnosed with asthma, according to 10News.
“I believe what he’s done to our family is criminal,” Alfonso said.
The father has now filed a police report in addition to making a complaint to the US Postal Service.
Police are ”actively investigating” the issue and apparently Alfonso’s family are not the only ones who are affected by this cruel postal worker.
Other dog owners who live just blocks from the Galindo home have come forward and they believe their pets also were targeted by the same man.
One devastated owner revealed that his 9-year-old dog, who was also behind a gate, started to squirm in pain after the mail carrier had been to their home.
Hours later, his dog’s eyes were still red, according to 10News.
The postal worker has not been identified, butUSPS released a public apology after an internal investigation.
In a statement, the USPS said:
”On behalf of the United States Postal Service, we want to apologize to the Galindo family and Pupa. We do not condone our employees behaving in a manner which is not professional and courteous.The appropriate personnel and corrective action will be taken as well as training given to all local letter carriers.”
”That left me with a question. Is this person going to be retrained and put back on my route? That’s not going to cut it,” said Alfonso.
I really hope they find and punish the monster who did this to the poor pup!
No one should harm another living creature that doesn’t pose a threat. This should be a given, not something that needs to be taught.
Sadly, this mailman not only hurt innocent animals, but he also put Alfonsos children in danger.
He should already be in custody – share this story on Facebook if you agree!