Mailman Befriends Dog On Route Before It Passes, Then Works To Fulfill Animal’s “Dying Wish”

It turns out dogs and mailpeople CAN be friends.

Chris Cimino’s elderly dog Gretchen took some time to warm up to everyone in her life after she was adopted in 2013. He told “Good Morning America” last week that while the pup was “sweet as can be,” she was also “pretty standoff-ish.”

“Her mistrust of just about everyone outside of the family was pretty evident,” Cimino said.

Pam Cimino via Facebook
Source:

Pam Cimino via Facebook

Enter mailman Fernando Barboza, an inveterate dog-lover who made friends with every canine on his route.

Fernando Barboza via Facebook
Source:

Fernando Barboza via Facebook

While Gretchen was initially skittish around him, Barboza didn’t give up. He brought her treats with the mail and made sure to call out a greeting to her every time he came to the house.

“…he was pretty persistent … he would call her name and she started looking forward to it. Even when he didn’t have any packages to deliver to the door he would drive by and say, ‘Hey Gretchen,'” Cimino said.

Eventually, Gretchen would get up and wait for Barboza at the door whenever she heard the mail truck.

@DeCuervo via Twitter
Source:

@DeCuervo via Twitter

Sadly, the sweet German Shepherd passed away after years of friendship and Cimino couldn’t bring himself to let Barboza know in person. That’s when he got an idea to leave him a special note.

The Monday after Gretchen’s death, Barboza saw that the family had outgoing mail, but when he checked the box, he found a ziplock bag containing dog treats and a note.

“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.”

@amorningsting via Twitter
Source:

@amorningsting via Twitter

Barboza posted a tribute to Gretchen on his Facebook page:

“Found out that one of my buddies on my route passed away…Gretchen was a huge German shepherd but she was a huge teddy bear, I am going to miss her 😪😪”

And he has indeed carried out the family’s wishes for Gretchen. He told The Dodo that he’s been delivering the treats to other dogs on his route:

“I’ve been giving out her treats to the dogs on my route every day. And when I do, I always say, ‘This is from Gretchen.'”

It’s a bittersweet ending for everyone involved. Barboza said he’s happy to see Gretchen’s treats making the other dogs along his route so happy, despite his sadness.

Meanwhile, Cimino, who is still mourning his dog said that while she wasn’t always fond of other people, Gretchen did love other dogs.

“I know that she would have wanted her favorite things that she couldn’t finish to go to her friends.”

The sad but sweet story went viral immediately after Barboza’s daughter posted Cimino’s note to Twitter along with a photo of the bag of treats. In less than 10 days it’s been like 874k times and retweeted by more than 186k accounts!

As one might expect, it brought more than a few readers to tears.

Screencap via Twitter
Source:

Screencap via Twitter

Despite Gretchen’s passing, it looks like her memory will live on in those who got to know her.

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Article Sources:

The Dodo

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By Jessica

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Jessica is a writer at Shareably.