A 64-year-old woman from Leigh in Greater Manchester has spoken of her horror after allegedly witnessing an Amazon delivery driver kick her pet dog in the head whilst dropping off a parcel at her property.
Liz O’Brien claims the distressing incident occurred on January 30 when the driver entered her garden, where her three-year-old Cavapoo named Alba was present.
Mrs O’Brien stated she was “absolutely horrified” upon coming outside to find the man striking her small dog “with some force”.
The e-commerce giant, which uses third-party contractors rather than directly employing its UK delivery personnel, has confirmed an investigation into the matter is underway.
According to Mrs O’Brien, Alba had been barking as the driver approached, noting her pet possesses “one of those very yappy kind of barks” that would have been clearly audible.
She explained that she ventured outside, fearing the Cavapoo might escape through the gate, but instead the friendly animal approached the delivery man.
“She started jumping up to say hello and with that, he turned round and just gave her one almighty kick,” Mrs O’Brien recounted.
“He booted her. She didn’t half yelp and run. I was worried that he’d knocked her teeth out.”
An Amazon delivery driver allegedly kicked a pet dog in the head whilst dropping off a parcel
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PAThe dog owner said she was left utterly stunned by what she had witnessed.
After examining Alba for any immediate harm, Mrs O’Brien attempted to pursue the driver to note his vehicle registration, but he had already departed by the time she reached the road.
“He just walked off and didn’t even shut the gate behind him,” she said.
Mrs O’Brien operates a part-time dog daycare business from her property, which features an enclosed driveway with clearly marked signage warning visitors about the presence of dogs.
Liz O’Brien claims the Amazon delivery driver kicked her Cavapoo Alba (not pictured) in the head while dropping off a parcel at her property
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“We even have a sign up so people know to shut the gate and look out for dogs,” she explained.
She noted that delivery personnel typically leave parcels on the exterior side of the gate, making this driver’s decision to enter the yard particularly unusual.
After lodging an official complaint with Amazon, Mrs O’Brien was offered a £10 voucher as compensation, which she described as an insult.
“It isn’t about money, you can’t have delivery drivers kicking dogs,” she stated.
An Amazon spokesman responded: “We have very high standards for our delivery service providers. We’re investigating and we’ve been in direct contact with the customer.”
Despite her efforts to escalate the matter, Mrs O’Brien has found it difficult to obtain further information from the company.
She said Amazon has primarily enquired whether she possesses any video or photographic evidence of the incident, which unfortunately she does not.