Federal Express Corporation Complaint - Fed Ex Driver Kills Beloved Dog

Posted by Dobemom on 2008-09-15:

This gals driveway is 1/4 of a mile long and open...this dog was easy to see running to the dog nanny. This boy was a conformation show dog with Best in Shows and his first Best of Breed in AKC the weekend before. He was also training in obedience and becoming a therapy dog.

Fed Ex covering up this driver's driving history and allowing him to keep driving knowing he was dangerous is hard to understand. This driver thought killing this loved and valuable dog was funny which doesn't say much for their screening of drivers.

This dog was known all over the US and this cannot go without folks knowing what happened.

What if it was a child????????

Posted by Suusan B. on 2008-09-15:

Although the Fedex driver may have been careless (yet to be proven), you also need to accept some of the blame for not having this AKC Best of Breed dog secured with a chain or leash. If I owned a dog that was as valuable as you and Dobemom claim, you can be sure he/she would not be running around loose under any circumstances.

Posted by Stew on 2008-09-15:

It always amazes me the people who exist on here for no other reason than to blame the OP. Even if the FedEx man shot a secured dog with a 9MM somebody would blame the OP for not having the dog in a bullet proof jacket. Amazing.

The FedEx driver ran over the dog in the OP's driveway doing 30 miles an hour. The driver has a history of bad driving. The FedEx driver had no remorse- Case closed. The FedEx driver is totally to blame here. Contact you local media they might find this story very interesting. I know i would. Sorry for your loss and hang in there. Best wishes!

Posted by madconsumer on 2008-09-15:

i agree, if he was a best of show animal, and well known, why was he running loose? a driveway 1/4 mile, i too would be driving 30mph.

as far as questioning fedex for employing such person, is actually none of your concern. if you feel you were harmed by no negelect on your part, then take them to court.

Posted by JohnInSoCal on 2008-09-15:

Personally, if it was my dog and valuable it would have been kept in a safe area. But, who am I kidding... I would not have a dog that couldn't be a pet and have full access to my property.

FedEx clearly should have used more care when proceeding up the drive way. In any residential area, the speed limit is 25 miles per hour, and thats on the street. If the driver was going 30 mph up the drive way, they are clearly in the wrong. Plain and simple their actions were wreckless.

Posted by yoke on 2008-09-16:

Why is the owner of the dog being trashed? The owner was home with the dog at the time. The dog was in her care and control. The FED EX idiot had no reason to drive 30 mph up a driveway. If he wants to drive 30mph then he needs to know his surroundings and watch for children and animals, the idiot did not. This is 100% FED EX's fault.

Posted by Principissa on 2008-09-16:

I'm sorry for your loss, truly I am. There is no excuse for what happened. This was a driver who didn't care, just wanted to get done, and wasn't paying attention to his surroundings. The cardinal rule when driving.

To everyone who is asking why the dog wasn't on a leash, if this was a child that this idiot driver hit and killed would you say the same? Or would you be outraged? This person hit and killed another living thing because he was not paying attention. I know most of my friends that have animals do not tie them up when they are on the property, especially when they are home. It doesn't matter if this was a toy show dog or a huge mastiff, their dog died because of someone else's negligence and would still be here today if this driver was paying attention.

Posted by chris513 on 2008-09-16:

Have to agree w/ princi, yoke, crabman, and john...if you actually believe that the OP did anything wrong, then I truly believe you have problems. To the OP, I really feel for you. I couldn't even to begin to imagine what you are going through.

Posted by DigitalCommando on 2008-09-16:

This post just seems a bit odd to me. The short cryptic style suggests it was prepared by someone with an investigative or law enforcement background, yet no mention of the police being called to the scene appears anywhere. This part of the story being left out makes no sense because it represents what everbody would normally do (call them) and is vitally important to the story as to the outcome of their findings at the scene, and a follow up their actions/inaction 30 days later would have been a nice mention also (this event occured almost a month ago). Secondly, another person chimes in under a different nick and makes supportive highly detailed comments before anybody else does. Why didn't the poster include these details to begin with, and why would they need somebody else to jump in immediately to support their claim before finding out what the response from us was going to be? With ommisions and additions like these, it could give rise to another possibility, the dog was hit and killed by someone known or unknown, only it wasn't the Fedex driver. And now Fedex is viewed as a nice big fat out of court settlement attempt. Just a thought people.

Posted by jenjenn on 2008-09-16:

The OP's accusations are hearsay. How would she know the man's driving record? In order to be hired, they do motor vehicle background checks.

Posted by yoke on 2008-09-16:

Maybe he had a clean record before he was hired.

The dog had a right to be on it's property without a leash. We have an electric fence for our dog. She is allowed to roam our property. When a car pulls into our driveway it is the reponsibility of the driver to watch for the dog, not the dog watch for the car.

We don't know if the police were called, the OP did not say. It was a short to the point post.

Posted by Stew on 2008-09-16:

Just because something is hearsay doesn't mean it's not true. Heck, when you read the paper it's hearsay. When the Fox & Friends went medieval on SNL for not fairly representing Sarah Palin in a skit that was hearsay. Hearsay doesn't equate to falsehood. Heck, the entire Holy Bible is hearsay. I'm not going to hold this OP to a higher standard than I do the Good Book... Holy smokes the Bible has talking snakes and ships that could carry a pair of all known species on earth. So who am I to doubt this OP. I wasn't there... Any doubt I could cast would be mere speculation. Which is also not allowed in court.

Posted by Principissa on 2008-09-16:

If you know the person's name, you can do a search for their driving records online. Just google driving records search and it comes right up. So anyone with internet access and a credit card could pull up the records with no problem. My DMV also has a link on their website to pull up and print out your driving record, for a fee of 10.00. So I'd say it's pretty easy to determine whether or not this guy had a bad driving record. Also if this person did go to the police, and didn't mention it in the post, they would tell her if the driver has had incidents while driving before. Especially if they were going to contact an attorney and sue. This person's attorney (if they have one) will also have access to the person's driving records to let the poster know that they have a case.

Posted by DigitalCommando on 2008-09-16:

Dogs don't have "rights". They have protections afforded to them via laws. Most cities have laws that require a dog to be on a leash or restraint when not enclosed within a fenced area of the property. Did the op have their massive estate with a quarter mile long driveway fenced in? Another point LEFT OUT. People who experience tragic loss of a loved one would not describe that loss in a sterile, emotionless, short, detailess manner. That IS my number one problem with this post. Also, why would somebody come to a consumer based site with that situation? When reviewing posts like this, I trust with my heart, but verify with my brain and MY brain says 2+2 does not equal 4 here.

Posted by DigitalCommando on 2008-09-16:

LOL, Crab and princi, good points!

Posted by Principissa on 2008-09-16:

Where I live as long as the owner(s) are on the property the dog can remain unleashed. If the owners are off of the property the dog must either be leashed or in a fenced in enclosure with adequate food, shelter, and water.
I don't know much about grief, but when I lost my grandparents I was emotionless when letting people know that they passed away. Their deaths were so sudden and my brain just did not process. I had relatives angry with me for weeks because I just did not show any emotion whatsoever.

Posted by DigitalCommando on 2008-09-16:

Good point princi, and you did nothing wrong, but you also didn't go to strange, unrelated websites and talk about it either.

Posted by DebtorBasher on 2008-09-16:

There's too much information not given here, so it is hard to voice an opinion. But I am sorry for the loss of the dog and it's such a great loss for what that dog could have become in the future as a therapy dog.
I've read other complaints about UPS and FedEx drivers hitting and killing a family pet in their driveway. I was not aware they were allowed to take a delivery truck onto personal property (into their driveways). I've never seen a truck in a driveway. Maybe it's different in the country.

Posted by JohnInSoCal on 2008-09-16:

I've never seen a truck on a private driveway either, DB. I think maybe because this driveway was so long that maybe the driver had no choice? The driver did have a choice as to how fast he drove so I understand driving in the driveway, but not the speed at which he was driving.

Posted by DebtorBasher on 2008-09-16:

That was another point I was going to make...going 30mph in a driveway...what if there were little kids playing there? Whether it was the driver's fault or not, that driver needs additional training.

Posted by yoke on 2008-09-16:

DC, the dog was on the owners property, not roaming the streets. Maybe they did have an electric fence around the property. The owner is not at fault for allowing the dog to roam on its property. It was the drivers fault for not paying attention to where it was and driving to fast. Around my street the FED EX drivers go at least 45 in a 25 zone.

Posted by DigitalCommando on 2008-09-16:

Unless the OP was standing there with a radar gun, the 30mph figure is probably an estimate based on assumptions. I don't think even Bill Gates has a quarter mile long driveway but nonetheless, it sounds like the op needs to have a couple of speed bumps installed, and keep their pets on a leash when they KNOW a vehicle is entering the property.

Posted by DigitalCommando on 2008-09-16:

Yoke, would you allow your 4 year old child to roam the multi-acre property freely, just because you can and there is no law against it? especially when a large speeding truck that you are watching comes into your driveway? When a vendor/delivery person/repair technician enters your property, it is YOUR duty to secure that animal to prevent it from getting out, getting hurt or attacking and biting the visitor. Unless that fence seperates the dog from those events, it does not classify as a fence under the law.

Posted by Stew on 2008-09-16:

Dc -- you're such a city boy. Florissant CO is from what I can tell pretty rural. It's an unincorporated town and a post office. Long driveways are not uncommon in rural areas and especially on farms where the farm house tends to be towards the center of the section. This driveway probably looked more like a gravel road than a traditional driveway. Also in rural areas there are no leash laws.. Dogs roam free.

The actual event of a FedEx driver hitting a dog on a private property is believable. The vehicle going over 25MPH is also believable. I see nothing in the OP and CO-OP account that is not believable. So eh I give them the benefit of the doubt.

Posted by yoke on 2008-09-16:

DC, the point is the driver had a responsibility once on the owners property to make sure nothing was in the driveway. He had no right to go 30mph on private property. Maybe the owner did not have enough time to secure the dog since the driver was going so fast. How you can justify what the driver did as ok and put the blame on the owner is unreal.

Posted by Principissa on 2008-09-16:

One of the guys hubby works with actually has a dirt driveway that is 1 1/2 miles long. So delivery drivers and the mailman have no choice but to drive up to his door/mailbox to deliver a package. It's pretty normal, at least where I live to have large/long driveways and it's easier for delivery people to just drive up the driveway to deliver things.

As far as letting the kids roam free, I do it all the time, I am always out there with them, but since I do not have 6 eyes and 12 arms, I cannot keep watch on both kids at all times. Especially when I am giving a boo-boo kiss, or getting on one for getting too close to the street. So in the split second I take my eyes off of one, the other could get hurt. It's a risk I take. I'm certainly not going to just keep my kids inside or put them in a bubble, but I do expect, and I think it's reasonable to expect, that when someone is driving down my street to pay attention to their surroundings and take caution when they see us out in the yard. And before I get criticized for having them out front and not out back, there is a train track, freight and coal mostly, that runs a little over 100 feet from my backyard every 30 minutes, and we do not have a fence. It's safer for me to have them in the front than in the back, because it's easier to stop a car/truck than it is to stop a train.

Posted by JohnInSoCal on 2008-09-16:

Princi, you of all people I would never criticize about where you let your kids play. Anyone who has read your words on this and previous posts know that your children are your number one priority. It is reasonable, especially in a residential area for people driving to be extra careful and to pay close attention to their surroundings.

Posted by Dobemom on 2008-09-16:

Yes I know the dog and the gal...We are states away from each other but friends. I have seen the dog and have done a hands on of him...

The closest neighbor is a mile away by how the crow flies. They are in the rockies. You are right, the driveway is like a dirt road that anyone would go no more then 10 miles an hour on this driveway. Also the dog is readily seen, anyone would slow down or stop. The dog was not alone, they have a dog nanny that looks after the dogs when they are not home. These dogs are NEVER alone. This driver was hell bent on getting the dog who was returning to the nanny... Just because one has a highly bred dog, that doesn't mean they live in a crate and coddled...They are normal healthy dogs who get a bath and a quick trim and go in the ring and look pretty or compete in an obedience ring. Since this boy was only 18 months old his career was a head of him and his breeding worth. Since anyone who spends the time and money to put a good dog in the ring, not matter the venue conformation or obedience, you are putting out something that betters the breed. People that do obedience want a dog that comes from proven parents as well as conformation people going for a certain look. This dog had it all, brains and beauty... Since these folks have no children, their dogs are very important to them. Having a low life thinking it is funny some how pushes buttons of a normal thinking person.

Posted by Ghost of Doc J on 2008-09-16:

Crabman-Your first answer summed it up and was the best answer. I wonder how many of the M3C 'experts' would forgive a delivery driver if he came into their home, and knocked over a Faberge egg as they rushed to deliver the package. I share your sympathy for the OP. One is NOT obligated to keep their dog on a leash on their own property. Well said, Crabman!

Posted by jktshff1 on 2008-09-16:

This seems to be a "dual responsibility" thing from what I can read into it. Yes, the driver may have been going too fast, no way to verify that. Not paying proper attention, possibly. The op, apparently knowing that a delivery was expected, should have kept such a valuable pet under control and out of harms way. My dog is usually unleashed and roams at will around the property, but when he is out, so is me or the better 1/2, just to keep an eye on him.
I believe it's a 50/50 thing between the driver and the op.
jm3c

Posted by yoke on 2008-09-17:

jkt, so a pet or child has to be indoors all day if someone is expecting a package because the driver feels he has a right to speed up your driveway and not pay attention to their surroundings.

Posted by Ghost of Doc J on 2008-09-17:

Long driveways are the norm for rural Texas. Dogs, cattle, and horses freely roam 'unleashed' (LOL!!!) inside the cattleguard and delivery drivers do a good job of slowing down and being careful of the 'critters'. Fortunately for the involved driver in this case, the incident took place in the yuppie-saturated People's Republic of Colorado. If the incident would have taken place in Texas, as described in the OP, the rusting hulk of the Fed Ex van would be found 15yrs later in a creek bed. It's laughing driver? Well..."We ain't seen nuthin' of no FedEx driver."

Posted by DigitalCommando on 2008-09-17:

There have been dogs run over by UPS/Fedex 30' in front of a normal track home so in the end, the length of the driveway is irrelevant. But in both cases, the owner "allowed" the dog to be in a position of harm. Do any of you believe that the driver saw the dog from a distance and still intentionally ran over it? On a long road like this it would have been easy to see it from a distance, but it must have been behind a bush and darted out at the last second and got hit. That can happen at any speed. If the op had wolves in the area and the dog was killed by the wolf because the dog was allowed to roam freely with no protection, would that be the wolfs fault? You don't leave your jewelry box out on the sidewalk. If you PROTECT what you value, these things won't happen. As JK stated this really is a 50/50 issue. "This driver was hell bent on getting the dog who was returning to the nanny..." My BS meter is pegged and the glass is broken!

Posted by Ghost of Doc J on 2008-09-17:

LOL DC..."must have been behind a bush", and now, "If the op had wolves in the area"...all following DC's assertion "the 30mph figure is probably an estimate based on assumptions". (Assumptions are 'bad' unless DC makes them?) "...keep their pets on a leash when they KNOW a vehicle is entering the property." Good advice, DC! Only problem, how do we mere mortals 'KNOW' when a vehicle is going to enter the property? ;-)

Posted by DigitalCommando on 2008-09-17:

Dirt roads kick up nice big dust clouds, thought you might have known that.

Posted by Ghost of Doc J on 2008-09-17:

Gotta run, DC...must watch for impending dust on the road which indicates I must round up my critters..."just in case" ;-)

Posted by DigitalCommando on 2008-09-17:

Don't worry doc, the dust won't negatively effect your spray on mousse!

Posted by yoke on 2008-09-17:

dc, if you go slow you won't kick up dust and rocks. If you go fast you will. Sorry the owners have a right to have their animals on their property without the fear of being killed by a FEDEX truck.

Posted by cherpep on 2008-09-17:

This is truly a sad story. In the end it comes down to a a driver with a bad driving history and a dead dog. One must wonder how that day would have gone if that driver had been removed from the road sooner and another driver was doing the job that day. I'm guessing the loose dog would not have been an issue.

Posted by Ghost of Doc J on 2008-09-17:

Small problem with your advice, DC. The road in front of my place is paved, not 'dirt'. Ooops...ya musta assumed that too, eh?

Posted by jktshff1 on 2008-09-17:

Yoke, that is not what I said. I said that the property owner has a certain responsibility also. I don't let my 6yr old grandson out by himself without papa or nana around, and he is fairly responsible for a 6 yr old (he minds most of the time lol!).
Again, yes the driver (from what we have) was responsible, but the property owner was also partially responsible for their actions.
It's just that I tire of seeing nobody wanting to take ANY responsibility of ANYTHING that happens. It's always someone else's fault. My kids and grandson tried me on that. I don't buy it.
jm3c

Posted by jktshff1 on 2008-09-17:

Sorry one more thing...as much as I like dogs ( I have a very large Anatolian guard dog, google them they're better than a handgun)they don't have "rights" the owners have the rights.
Before everyone starts...I would never abuse or mistreat any animal and would go to the aid of any having the same done.

Posted by Stew on 2008-09-17:

If animals had rights McDonalds wouldn't have cheeseburgers.

Posted by hell2pay on 2008-09-17:

Is it a cow's fault they taste so good?

Posted by jktshff1 on 2008-09-17:

and quite a few other things Crabman!

Posted by jktshff1 on 2008-09-17:

Did the owner have a speed limit sign on their property????, no tresspassin????beware of dog sign????slow children playing????? we could go on and on with this.

Posted by rylan on 2008-09-20:

Hello All.....this is the dog owner....you guys have had quite a discussion. To clear up a few things: We live on 35 acres, surrounded by several hundred acres of open land. We live behind a locked gate, only accessed with gate code by delivery drivers, the trash truck, and the propane guy. The police were called and a report was filed. There is no speed limit on property, but a bit of common sense should come into play and a driver should drive about 15 MPH at the most on this driveway. The driver was not expected to show up on this particular day; he should have been there the day after. Dogs are property and as such an owner is entitled to replacement cost via insurance claim. This dog was worth well into five figures.
Oh, as for my grief and it's relation to the brief origianl post: You all have no idea how many tears have been shed, how many emails, cards, phone calls, well wishes that have been sent to me and my family. This was one of my children and I dare anyone to say otherwise. The original post was meant to be straight to the point that Fed Ex kept an irresponsible, unprofessional employee on it's books and Fed Ex is at fault in doing so.

Posted by jcrawford on 2008-10-08:

I agree that FedEx should be at fault here. Do you have any speed limit signs up? I know that it is a driveway but it is 1/4 mile long, in some states the speed for an un-posted road is 50mph. I do agree though that the FedEx driver should be held accountable and FedEx as well for employing such a reckless person.

Posted by rosebud64 on 2008-10-10:

I can't believe some of the negative comment's to the owner. If I had all that land I'ed let my dog run free to. Thank god it wasn't a kid maybe we should tie them all up to. And the guy laughing about it how cruel. I love my dog's and cats like they'er my children.It sounds almost like he may have done it on purpose. I hit a puppy this summer on the high way I could help it I had slowed down coming into town and the little guy ran over a hill and right in front of me. I puled over and turned around the owner had run out but he was dead.I apologized to her and told her how sorry I was. I still feel bad. I live by the same road and my animals are trained to stay in the yard or they stay tied up and get daily walks. But when I lived in the country I let them run to. I don't know it's more about his attitude than any thing else.

Posted by FloridaCj on 2008-11-11:

Bottom line....FED EX IS IN THE WRONG! RECKLESS SPEEDING DRIVERS!! A driver was flying in my condo community and ripped off the back end of my car! I wasnt even a foot out of my parking spot and BAAAMM. He got out and quicky said sorry CLEARY KNOWING HE IS IN THE WRONG. Due to being on private property the police only fill out an exchange of info and what do you know this jerk is putting the blame on me and made a claim on my insurance! This is only a car I cant even imagine what you went through losing a precious pet! We are waiting on the insurance scene investigators that will clearly show this idiot reckless driver is in the wrong! Fed ex really needs to crack down on this bad drivers! Maybe if they dont keep letting them get away with reckless speeding they will think twice if they are in fear of losing their job!

Posted by slowdown on 2010-06-16:

We live in the country, various times when coming home from work i have encountered the fed ex driver on the wrong side of the road and going alot faster than he should. My neighbors have complained for him to slow down. Well today i come home to neighbors crying,my daughter and her boyfriend. The FEd ex driver finually killed my daughters dog...buy his speeding...We live in the country on a dead end road and not on an interstate! i see no need for this driver to drive so fast...although this lose has been hard for my daughter i just thank god it wasnt one of the children that also live out here...

Posted by PepperElf on 2010-06-16:

well it's been about a year and a half since the incident......

Posted by mcl2009 on 2010-10-26:

I see a lot of careless aggressive driving by various delivery vehicles. I have recently started closing the gates to my driveway because the mailman has taken to driving INTO the driveway to bring up packages instead of walking, and I am concerned for my pets and my neighbors. I know some folks would appreciate this service but it scares me! no strange vehicles in private drive please! for just this potentially tragic reason. My condolences on loss of your good dog.