Round of appaws
Christmas came early for one Leamington family thanks to their local postman, Steve Malin.
Customer Alice Broadfield praised Steve for his quick actions in finding her family’s missing dog, Peggy, who had escaped the Broadfield family’s Kenilworth Road back garden last week.
After Peggy was reported missing on 4 December, Alice and her family spent the next 24 hours contacting the police, the Warwick District Council dog warden and our very own Steve for help in tracking down the beloved bullmastiff.
The family posted missing dog posters around the neighbourhood and Peggy was even added to the Dog Lost website, which is listed as the UK's largest lost and found dog service.
Steve, who has been the postman for the Kenilworth Road area for two years, saw one of the posters and shortly after, spotted Peggy 200 yards away behind some nearby flats close to the Northumberland Road junction.
Alice was so grateful to be reunited with the one-year-old pooch that she told the Leamington Courier, Peggy's return was like a Christmas miracle come true.
‘I just mentioned it to (Steve) and he said he'd keep an eye out for her because he's found dogs before,’ Alice told the paper. ‘Then he just turned up at my door half a half hour later with our dog.’
Alice said that Peggy had escaped the family's back garden with another family dog, Dave, a black labrador retriever, who has a history of escaping. Several hours later Dave returned home without Peggy.
‘I wanted to say thank you to this lovely man,’ said Alice. ‘I think he's gone above and beyond the call of duty. It's a nice Christmas story. I have to say it's restored my faith in humanity.’
By delivering more than just the post Steve said it was all part of his job to help people. It's the third dog Steve has rescued in his 14 years as a postman.
‘I thought if I see the dog I'm going to try my hardest to find it,’ said Steve. ‘It's part of the job for me to help if I can.
‘I've had a really bad week because I've been diagnosed with cancer again. So, this has really cheered me up. I'm like an old-fashioned postman and if somebody needs me I'll try and help them.’
Leamington Spa delivery office manager, James Maudlin, said: ‘Every day we receive reports of our people going above and beyond in the communities they serve.
‘Steve's help in reuniting a customer with her dog is yet another example of this. We are proud of the work our people do in the community, which often goes far beyond simply delivering mail and parcels.’
Photo by Leamington Courier.
