Aside from having to deal with hellish work hours and constant expectations, delivery drivers also often have to deal with people’s pets. It’s not rare at all to hear stories about delivery workers being confronted by aggressive animals, and in most cases those animals are dogs. Considering that a dog attack is nothing to take lightly, it makes sense that many delivery drivers remain cautious and sometimes even anxious whenever they come across an unfamiliar dog on the job. Although this particular case wasn’t exactly an animal attack, it was a closely related incident that recently took place in Midwest City, Oklahoma.
In a clip captured by a Ring camera, an Amazon delivery driver was seen entering the front yard of a home to drop off a package. A pit bull, which was not on a leash and was wandering freely around the yard, quickly noticed the man and began approaching him. The Oklahoma homeowner was also outside at the time, squatting near his car and appearing to do some kind of maintenance work.
As the pit bull moved closer, the Amazon driver’s nervousness became visible. After all, pit bulls are often regarded as one of the most aggressive dog breeds, with countless stories circulating about people being mauled or seriously injured by them. Even though this particular dog wasn’t showing major signs of aggression, the Amazon driver apparently decided that it was better to be safe than sorry and sprayed the dog directly in the eyes with pepper spray.
The owner, who was watching nearby, immediately reacted with hostility. The Oklahoma man became enraged and started threatening to hit the Amazon driver for daring to spray his dog. The driver tried to defend himself by explaining that he acted out of fear and was simply protecting himself. The argument escalated into shouting, and in the heat of the moment, the owner slapped the Amazon driver across the face. Not wanting to continue the confrontation any further, the driver turned and walked back to his vehicle.
When the video hit the internet, the reaction was mixed and highly polarized. Some people sided with the dog’s owner, arguing that the Amazon driver had overreacted and that the pit bull wasn’t actually showing aggression. “I am not a pit fan but it seemed unnecessary. Dude prob has PTSD from other encounters. Either way you don’t pass up that chance to spray the owner,” one user wrote. Others, however, strongly defended the driver, pointing out that dogs should always be on a leash when outside. Just because a dog doesn’t act aggressively toward its owner doesn’t mean it won’t attack a stranger who steps onto the property.
One frustrated commenter wrote, “Put the dog on a leash jfc.” Another added, “There are mandatory safety trainings due to dog bites in almost any industry that involves visiting another person’s home. People defending the dog regardless of ‘perceived’ behavior are dumb. Put your dog on a f***ing leash if you don’t have a fenced yard.”