Treat-Bearing Mailman Carries Out One Dog's Dying Wish After She Leaves Him a Goodbye Note

An unlikely friendship with a neighborhood dog has left pawprints on one mailman’s heart after the pup asked him to fulfill her dying wish.

While completing his route each day, Fernando Barboza would bring treats to many of the dogs in the neighborhood, including one very special German shepherd he often visited named Gretchen.

But Barboza recently discovered through a heartbreaking note left by her owner, Chris Cimino, that Gretchen had died — and as her final request, asked that the mailman share the wealth of her treats with the other doggies in the neighborhood.

“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,” the note, which was shared by Barboza’s daughter on Twitter, read. “She always enjoyed seeing you come to the door and was always happy to get a snack from you.”

Along with the heartbreaking letter, the Cimino family attached a bag of Gretchen’s dog treats. The tweet has since gone viral, garnering over 874,000 likes and over 186,000 retweets.