Moment before parcel devoured by dog captured by Hermes 'proof of delivery' photo

The fateful image, taken moments before catastrophe

Delivery drivers can have a habit of leaving parcels in the least convenient places – but it reached the next level for a Coventry mum when a “lazy” Hermes delivery driver lobbed her package over the fence and directly into the path of her ravenous British bulldog. Brogan Griffiths, 29, was left baffled when she was sent a message saying her parcel had been successfully delivered while she wasn’t at home, until all was revealed when she saw the picture, taken moments before disaster.

Brogan said she spent two weeks searching for the perfect outfit to wear on her birthday and splashed out £160 on three dresses from Oh Polly.

When the items finally reached her home, her delivery driver simply threw them over her fence and took a photo to show proof they had been delivered.

But disaster could be seen lurking in the background of the fateful snap.

Looking longingly at the package was Cookie Monster, Brogan’s 11-month-old British bulldog.

When Brogan returned to her home in Binley, the three dresses were not in the same location the picture had shown them in.

They were, instead, strewn about the garden after Cookie Monster apparently mistook them for a toy thrown by the Hermes delivery driver and promptly lunged for them.

She said she was left “absolutely devastated” that she wouldn’t have the outfits to wear on her birthday, and “doesn’t understand” why the courier company just left her order on the ground outside.

“I was going to Manchester for a night out with my best friend for my birthday and I’d been trying to find something to wear for ages,” she said.

“I ordered three outfit options from Oh Polly which came to £160 for next-day delivery to come four days before my birthday, so I didn’t have a lot of time. I got an email while I was at work to say the package had been delivered and I was confused because no one was in and you’re supposed to sign for Oh Polly packages.

“I checked the delivery photo and saw the dog’s beady eyes peering round the corner at the parcel and my heart just sank straight away. I knew it was a goner.

“I knew the delivery man must have thrown it over the gate and the dog would just think he was playing fetch and throwing it for her.

“When I got home all three dresses had been torn to shreds and dragged through the mud and Cookie was still playing in the garden, she thought it was a game.”

Brogan, mum to a seven-year-old daughter, added: “Cookie’s never torn any clothes up around the house, she’s a really good dog so she obviously just thought the delivery man was throwing the parcel to her to play with. She didn’t even realise she did anything wrong so I couldn’t tell her off.”

She contacted Oh Polly for a replacement order but it didn’t come in time for her birthday after it two weeks for the company to send another out, promising it would use DPD instead of Hermes to deliver it – but then used the same delivery service again.

Brogan’s birthday dress did not survive contact with

This time, Hermes left the parcel on her front doorstop, in full view of the street.

Brogan said “luckily” her neighbour took it in, but added she would not be ordering from Hermes or Oh Polly again, and has sent the dresses back for a refund.

A spokesperson for Hermes said: “We can confirm that Ms Griffiths has received her replacement order. Due to the pandemic we are still continuing to provide contactless deliveries and no longer leave a calling card (this is done digitally) or ask for a signature.

“The local team has spoken to the courier involved to emphasise the importance of finding a safe place location when the recipient is not home to receive their order to ensure this does not happen again.”

A spokesperson for Oh Polly said: “We are really sorry that this happened to our customer. When we were contacted about this incident we made sure our customer received a replacement and an investigation was carried out.

“Customer satisfaction is extremely important to us and we are dedicated to providing the best possible service.”

Moment before parcel devoured by dog captured by Hermes ‘proof of delivery’ photo