Sunbathing dog killed after deliver driver threw heavy package over garden wall

A Yorkshire terrier has been killed after it was hit by a package as it was sunbathing in the family garden, CBSLA has reported.

The 4lb pooch called Cooper had been sunbathing in the backyard of her home in Venice, Los Angeles, when all of a sudden she was hit by a large package. The box had been thrown over the garden wall by an unnamed FedEx delivery driver.

The large and heavy package - which contained crystal - left Cooper lying in a puddle of blood.

More on this tragic story in the video below:

Cooper's owners, Keiko Napier and Mitchell Galin revealed they found their dog lying motionless in the back yard.

"We’ve just had a horrible weekend," Keiko said.

"I immediately picked up the box, and Cooper was in a puddle of blood," Galin added.

Keiko and Mitchell rushed Cooper to a vet, where they were told that the four-pound dog would have to be put to sleep as a result of the damaged caused to her lungs and liver. She was euthanized shortly after.

"It was painful to watch your dog in pain," Galin said.

The garden wall was so high that the driver would not have been able to see Cooper lying there. FedEx has since responded to the incident and revealed in a statement that they will be investigating the incident:

"We extend our deepest sympathies to the family of the pet involved in this incident. We take this matter very seriously and are working directly with those involved to determine the circumstances behind this event. Based on the outcome of our investigation, we will take the appropriate action."

Related - Is this the worst delivery driver ever?

However, Cooper's owners don't believe the courier's response is enough. Napier said:

"To me, that’s not satisfactory. I feel they need to say they’re going to institute a corporate-wide mandate that drivers cannot throw packages; that’s what I want to hear. I don’t want to hear we’ll look into it.

"Our grandchild plays out here. My mother is out here gardening. I’m here gardening. And the package was so heavy, should it have struck one of us, it would’ve caused damage - very very severe damage."

Is it time delivery drivers stopped taking shortcuts?