Royal mail postie caught on camera 'kicking customer's' puppy in face'

A Royal Mail postman was caught on camera appearing to kick a customer's 'attention-loving' puppy in the face while he delivered letters. Nikki Walker was working from home

when cockapoo Bella heard the garden gate open and jumped out of a ground floor window. The 49-year-old says she heard the one-year-old yelp in pain so rushed to the front door to question a

Royal Mail postman who had just delivered some letters. She says the worker denied kicking Bella and told her to 'do what the f**k she wants' when she pledged to check her doorcam

footage. The video shows Bella run over to the postman who turns around and appears to kick the rescue dog in the face with his right boot. Bella appears to be thrust backwards in mid-air

and then runs off a couple of seconds before Nikki appears at the front door. Nikki claims the postie told her he simply 'put my leg up to stop Bella from jumping' but she believes

he was lying. The mum-of-four says she was 'absolutely fuming' while reviewing the footage and complained to Royal Mail. She says they offered her £100 and a home visit from a

staff member to apologise, but she rejected the latter as she wanted all correspondence in writing. Nikki claims Royal Mail have since threatened to suspend deliveries to her address unless

she ensures the dog is kept away from staff. She describes Bella as a 'faithful, cuddle-loving' puppy who has never bitten anyone and posted the video to Facebook. Royal Mail claim

two other posties have reported Bella growling at them and insisted their 'first priority as an employer is to ensure the welfare and safety' of staff. The postman has now been

removed from the round and won't be delivering to the address on Nikki's request. Nikki, from Leeds, West Yorkshire, said: "When I heard yelping I quickly ran outside the

front door. When I asked what she's yelping he said he didn't know. I asked if he'd kicked the dog and he said 'no, I put my leg up to stop her from jumping'. That

won't be the case because he put his leg back and kicked. I knew he was lying to me. "I told him I'd check the camera then he said 'do what the f**k you want. Bella ran

into the house, curled and cowered on the sofa and that's not like her. I knew something had happened. I sat next to her to watch the video and when I did I was absolutely fuming.

"She was wagging her tail. She wasn't aggressive or barking. She's a faithful puppy. She loves cuddles, attention and she'd sit on your knee for hours. If he'd have

done that to my last dog he'd have killed her. My daughter watched the video and she was absolutely mortified." Nikki says it will cost her around £80 to build new fencing so Royal

Mail will agree to deliver to her address. She feels the delivery giants are treating her puppy like a 'dangerous' dog despite her claiming she's never bitten anyone. Nikki

said: "They sent this via a letter, which is quite ironic. You couldn't make it up. We've had to go out, buy some wood and build and new fence and gate so she can be secured

in the back garden It's as if my dog is dangerous. It's really annoyed me. She's not a rottweiler or a big alsatian and she's never bit anybody." Nikki's

Facebook post has more than 200 comments, shares and reactions. A Royal Mail spokesperson said: "We are aware of an incident involving one of our postmen and a dog in Leeds. Our first

priority as an employer is to ensure the welfare and safety of our people who provide a valuable service to our customers. "The vast majority of dog owners are very responsible and keep

their pets under control, However, last year, there were over 2,200 dog attacks on postmen and women in the UK - some resulting in life-changing injuries. We continue to appeal to dog

owners to secure their pets when the postie arrives to help reduce the number of attacks, particularly at the door and in the garden."