Mailman asked to fulfill friendly German Shepherd’s dying wish — neighbors couldn’t hold back tears when they saw what he carried

Fernando Barboza, a mailman who would always treat dogs on his route, was shocked to find a heartbreaking note from his favorite German Shepherd. He realized that the dog had passed away, and her owners had left the note to inform him. Besides, the mailman was entrusted with fulfilling Gretchen the dog's dying wish, which he did.

Gretchen's owner knew the bond Barboza shared with her, so instead of delivering the sad news in person, the family decided to leave a note along with a bag of Gretchen’s treats. The note, shared by Barboza's daughter on X, read, "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. She always enjoyed seeing you come to the door and was always happy to get a snack from you." Rescued in 2013, Gretchen had a possibly traumatic past, and her family said it had taken time to earn her trust, they told Good Morning America.

Barboza, however, who had a wholesome relationship with Gretchen, said he always made sure to include her in his routine. "He was pretty persistent...he would call her name, and she started looking forward to it. Even when he didn’t have any packages to deliver to the door, he would drive by and say, 'Hey, Gretchen,'" the dog's owner said. The day when Barboza received the note, he choked up reading it.

Despite struggling with his own emotions, the mailman decided to fulfill Gretchen's last wish. He went to all the regular dogs in the neighborhood and handed them the treats. Since then, Barboza has made it his daily ritual to honor her memory. "And when I do, I always say, 'This is from Gretchen,'" Barboza said. "To me, dogs become a part of us. It’s been both happy and sad. I’m sad when I think about her, but I’m happy to see the other dogs’ tails wagging like crazy when they get the treats. It's bittersweet," The Dodo quoted him.

Meanwhile, reacting to the wholesome story, @yungsahn shared, "I went to the dog park once and a Husky had passed away and the family left some of his toys for others to have." @ihearttsdotcom said, "What an incredibly sweet story. I hope your dad can maybe print out a screenshot of your post and leave it with the parents of Gretchen to let them know how touched everyone has been about her story and how she is now famous. I'm sure it would mean so much to them!"

Someone else on the platform, @thebeaglegirls, wrote, "This is beyond sweet and absolutely soul-crushing at the same time. Oh man." @danar63 commented, "What an incredible story! I had a wolf that passed the rainbow bridge that loved getting out to see our local police department and schools, and of course, she would walk with our postmaster as well. This shows [sic] how incredible your father is to think of his 4-legged friends each day."

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