Posties DEFEND Royal Mail worker who kicked a blind Shih Tzu ‘like a football’ before she died

Postmates took to the streets to support a Royal Mail worker who kicked a blind Shih Tzu ‘like a football’ and later died of organ failure.

An unidentified delivery man was seen kicking dog Ethel outside a family home in Buckinghamshire earlier this month.

The owner said the 11-year-old pet was partially blind and had only one tooth, so he did not pose any threat.

But fellow postal workers now defended the driver for his actions; Some said they had kicked the dogs themselves and would ‘do it again’.

A postman told the Telegraph: ‘I kicked a terrier to get it off me when it bit my leg and I would do it again.

‘I would say about 10 people have been bitten in my office. This is very common and the ‘never done this before’ are always dogs.’

Another said: ‘I felt sorry for that dog and its owner, but I also felt sorry for the postman.’

A third postman, living in the south-east, said he was “on his side”, adding: ‘If you know the area you can do what you can to ensure safety; If you don’t know then you shouldn’t take any risks.’

The man allegedly claimed to have attacked Ethel, but Ring’s doorbell footage showed him doing so just seconds after delivering a package.

Mrs Lewis made the difficult decision to put Ethel to sleep after the vet told her she had suffered irreversible brain damage.

Nearly 2,019 dog attacks on postal workers were reported last year, according to Royal Mail.

Of these, 61 resulted in serious injuries to employees.

Eve Lewis, 40, said the man denied attacking her dog Ethel, but Ring doorbell footage showed he did so just seconds after delivering the package.

He said: ‘The driver was walking away and he was still trying to turn and kick him.

‘Not only did he kick it, he played it with his toe as if it were a football. ‘It flew into the air, hit the ground and rolled three times.’

The NHS worker, who lives with her five-year-old son and her other dog, Stanley (French bulldog), also described the panic she felt after the attack.

She took Ethel to the vet from their home in Aylesbury but was told she could not be saved.

‘His blood pressure dropped and they put a tube in his nose. Then they said there was internal bleeding.

‘At this point I’m thinking, ‘This literally can’t happen.’ From then on everything was a complete blur.

“I went home for the night, but when I returned to the vet in the morning I found he had already gotten over it,” Ms Lewis added.

Mrs Lewis made the difficult decision to put Ethel down after the vet told her she had suffered irreversible brain damage.

Royal Mail said: ‘We are very sorry to hear about this sad incident and know how heartbreaking this is for the family.

‘We take this matter very seriously. We have seen the footage and launched a full investigation to determine the circumstances. We also confirmed to the family that we would cover veterinary expenses.

‘We take animal welfare and the safety of our people very seriously. ‘Dog-related incidents can pose a serious risk to postal workers and we will take any appropriate action once our investigation is complete.’

Thames Valley Police had previously said no arrests had been made but ‘investigations into animal welfare and criminal damage incidents are ongoing’.