"Pretty bad:" Mail carrier caught on camera using pepper spray on small dogs behind locked gate



HOUSTON, Texas -- "They're doing fine, happy," Jose Cruz said of his dogs, Bella, Romeo and Lexi.

In June, Cruz shared photos with KTRK showing his dogs with irritated eyes and discolored coats. Video shared by Cruz is hard to believe.

"It was pretty bad what he did," Cruz said.

The video shows a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier using what appears to be pepper spray to ward off the small dogs that can hardly be considered threatening. The mail carrier and mail box were on one side of a locked gate -- the small dogs on the other.

After KTRK aired the video, viewers were outraged, calling it disgusting and demanding an arrest.

"People love their dogs like babies," Cruz said.

Investigators with the Harris County Precinct 5 Constable's Office say 21-year-old John Oveal is the man seen in the video. He now faces three misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty.

Court records indicate he told investigators he saw the dogs and their teeth, so he sprayed like he's trained to do.

Cruz said he's not buying that explanation. Cruz said he didn't want the mail carrier to be fired or even charged. He said he simply wanted the man to learn a lesson.