Mail Carrier Hits Dog With Rock: Beloved Yorkie Suffers Shattered Skull, Dies

A mail carrier in Fort Worth, Texas has been accused of hitting a dog with a rock and killing him.

According to The Star-Telegram, 5-year-old Maxwell, a Yorkshire Terrier, got out of his home and wandered across the street. What happened next is hard to imagine. Maxwell’s owner, Lawrence Brown, said that he didn’t realize his dog had gotten out — until he heard the pup yelping. Mr. Brown hurried out of his house and found the mail carrier near by.

Mr. Brown approached the mailman and asked:

“What did you do to that dog? He said, ‘I got me one.’ I asked him why he hit my wife’s dog with a rock, and he said, ‘I did what I had to do.'”

The dog had apparently been hit by a rock and Mr. Brown believes that the mail carrier was the one behind the incident. Maxwell was rushed to the vet where he was told that the dog “couldn’t be saved.” Maxwell’s injuries included a shattered skull and a severe spinal cord injury. Mr. Brown was forced to say goodbye to his beloved pet that day.

The police and the postal service are currently investigating this case. Despite Mr. Brown telling authorities that his dog was friendly and never showed signs of aggression, something must have happened for the mail carrier to be so aggressive toward the dog. The town ordinance states that the dog is considered “dangerous” if it goes after someone while not fenced in or on a leash. For this reason, Mr. Brown might have a hard time filing a lawsuit (if that’s what he chooses to do) or holding the mail carrier responsible.

However, according to Khon, there was a witness. Neighbor Ricardo Arzua saw the incident from across the street:

“Bang, like that, and then I turn around. It was a good puppy. Yes, a good dog. I don’t think that he poses a threat.”

If a mail carrier hits a dog because he fears his own life and the dog is being overly aggressive, that’s considered okay by some people. However, many wonder how intimidating the Yorkie could have been. While feisty, Yorkies are small dogs that have good depositions (generally speaking). It’s unknown if the mail carrier tried any other tactics (like shooing the pup or yelling for help) before taking matters into his own hands.

Arlene Sanchez, a Postal Service spokeswoman, released the following statement:

“The postal service takes the issue of dog bite prevention very seriously. We are saddened at the loss of the customer’s pet. Local postal officials are conducting a thorough investigation and will take appropriate action, as needed, pending the results. We understand that in this instance, the letter carrier was defending himself from a dog attack.”

As most people know, dogs attack mail carriers every now and again. In a related report by The Inquisitr, the post office reported that there were 4.5 million dog attacks in 2013. Of those millions, 5,581 victims were mail carriers.

[Photo courtesy of The Brown Family]