Based on stories we’ve heard in the past, it seems pretty customary for canines to have some sort of fascination with mailmen and women. Even television shows depict dogs growling at or attacking their innocent mail carrier. Other dogs have the nerve to chase down the mail truck as it takes off. Although we know postal workers are doing good in their community by delivering important envelopes and packages to residents’ homes, from a canine’s perspective, their property is in jeopardy when their mail gets delivered. Keeping their home and their owner(s) safe is in a dog’s b***d after all.
However, things were a little different for Mailman Fernando and German Shepherd Gretchen. Every morning when Fernando would deliver mail to Gretchen’s home, the shepherd would be thrilled to greet him. Every day, she would look outside the window waiting for her favorite community worker to arrive. And when the canine was let out to say her hellos to the mailman, she’d get plenty of pets and some occasional treats. The two were best buds.
Then one day, Fernando wasn’t greeted by Gretchen. Instead, he spotted a heart-rending letter from Gretchen’s family with a special request. Inside the plastic baggy that held the letter were several dog treats.
The letter read:
“Gretchen passed away yesterday. She asked me to ask you if you would share her treats that she never got to finish with the other dogs on your route. She always enjoyed seeing you come to the door and was always happy to get a snack from you.
Thank you,
The Cimino Family”
Fernando was upset to hear about the news and would miss seeing his favorite dog on his daily route. With tears in his eyes, Fernando was touched by the letter and was determined to stick to the dog’s family’s request. But for now, Fernando needed time to mourn. He even went home and informed his family about the dog’s passing.
To his surprise, his daughter posted a picture of the letter on Twitter. After garnering 180,000-plus retweets, the tweet earned thousands of comments and hundreds of thousands “likes.” Gretchen’s family even saw the post, with Mr. Cimino giving the following response:
“My wife and I were told about Gretchen’s letter to Fernando being on Twitter. I can’t begin to tell y’all how much it has meant to us seeing how much love and support y’all have shown to our girl. She was the absolute best.”
The family also noted that when Gretchen was adopted, she was of senior status. Just months later, the same family adopted another elderly dog. Her family hopes that by mentioning this, they can encourage others to adopt from animal shelters as well, particularly elderly animals since they typically have a harder time finding a forever home.
While Gretchen’s passing has hurt many hearts, the good news is, her touching story went viral across the Web.
Watch the video for a visual and aural version of the story.
