USPS mail carrier accused of kicking woman's dog in Hollywood Hills area

A woman in the Hollywood Hills area accused a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier of kicking her dog when he delivered mail in her neighborhood.

Grainy security video captured the moments it happened. In it, the mail carrier walks away from a home in the 4700 block of Deseret Drive in Woodland Hills as the woman and her dog walk toward him on the sidewalk. As a postal worker approaches his truck, the dog appears to walk up and jump at him. 

Immediately after, the letter carrier appears to motion his foot toward the dog before it scurries away. During the encounter, the dog, whose name is Rocky, does not appear to be on a leash. 

"It's just kind of unspeakable," owner Alex Rafizadeh said. "I don't understand why he did it; maybe he was having a bad day. I don't think that excuses kicking an animal.

In 2023, dogs attacked USPS letter carriers 65 times, the most out of any city in the nation. In a statement, the postal service apologized for the incident. 

"Unfortunately, one of our letter carriers didn't follow our high standards for conduct for mail delivery," the federal agency said. "We extend our sincere apologies to the homeowner for this incident."

USPS said its mail carriers are trained to use their satchel and dog spray to ward off dogs. 

"In this instance, the carrier failed to follow those guidelines and was not equipped with either his satchel or dog spray," USPS stated. 

It added that the carrier will go through additional training. 

"This incident does not reflect our commitment to serving our customers with care and respect," USPS stated. "Once again, we sincerely apologize."