1/2 Maya was seven years old (own photo).
Days after the death of their dog Maya, Kayleigh and Mike from Budel-Schoot are still upset. A package delivery driver was shocked by their Chihuahua on Friday and gave the animal a fatal kick, the owners say. According to PostNL, it would be a biting incident. Anyway, the fact is that the dog died in front of Mike and his two daughters aged 3 and 5 years old. And that, according to Kayleigh, has a major impact on the family. “How are we supposed to process this?”
What seemed like a perfectly normal start to the Pentecost weekend suddenly turned into a drama. A parcel delivery person rang the doorbell in the afternoon to deliver a parcel for the neighbours. Mike opened the door while calling. His daughters followed him, as did 7-year-old Chihuahua Maya. “Maya slipped out between my legs,” says Mike.
“Maya lay in a pool of blood on the floor.”
“Before I knew it, I heard screaming outside. I went to look and saw Maya lying in a pool of blood,” says Kayleigh emotionally. “I could still feel her heart beating. A vibration in her tail gave me hope that she would make it, but it was done. I can’t get the image out of my head ever since.”
Mike was also shocked by what happened. “I saw the kick happen before my very eyes,” says Mike. “I immediately called the Animal Ambulance, but received no response for five minutes.”
In the meantime, the neighbor came out. She took the girls to her home. “The girls saw Maya lying in a pool of blood. They are very sad,” says Kayleigh.
Mike decided to call 911. “The vet came with the police. The delivery man stated that he was afraid of dogs and that he kicked out of reflex when he felt something on his trouser leg,” says Mike.
According to PostNL, a biting incident would have occurred and the delivery person had to be treated for his injuries. When that treatment took place is unknown to PostNL.
“She had little chance.”
Maya was seriously injured by the kick. “The delivery driver wore steel noses, which made the blow hard. The right side of Maya’s skull was broken, the vet said. She suffered some pain, but had little chance. If she had survived, she would have been scarred for life says Kayleigh.
The East Brabant police confirms that agents and the vet have responded to the report. The police also announced that a 24-year-old parcel deliverer from Veldhoven was arrested on Friday on suspicion of involvement in the death of the dog. “He was released on Saturday,” says a police spokesperson. “A file is being drawn up and he can account for himself during a hearing.”
After questions from Omroep Brabant, PostNL says it finds the situation ‘very sad’ for all involved. According to a spokesperson, several dogs were present and the parcel delivery person was bitten by one dog.
“We are contacting the family to indicate in a personal conversation that we think it is a very nasty and sad situation,” says the PostNL spokesperson. “The parcel deliverer is very shocked and touched by the situation.” The company cannot say whether the delivery driver’s fear of dogs was known to them. PostNL also cannot say how they deal with delivery drivers who are afraid of dogs.
“This loss is so abrupt.”
A memorial to Maya in the backyard offers some comfort to Kayleigh and Mike’s family. “When a dog dies of old age you are prepared for it, but this loss is so abrupt. How are we supposed to process this? My oldest daughter looked at a picture of Maya last weekend and whispered that she misses her. Seeing that breaks your heart .”
The family is overloaded with support. “We get a lot of comments on social media and people around are sick of it.”
