LAUDERHILL, Fla. — Police say mailman Sian Andre Spence called in sick on Wednesday after seeing a Local 10 News story with surveillance video showing him pepper-spraying three dogs behind a fence at a home in Lauderhill. They say they interviewed and arrested him later in the morning.

Spence, 47, of Fort Lauderdale, is now facing three counts of animal cruelty in connection with the Jan. 2 incident. Authorities say he’s worked for the U.S. Postal Service for five years.

Mailman arrested for pepper-spraying dogs: Police

The video, aired by Local 10 News on Monday, shows that the three Shih Tzu-poodles, a mother named “Ginger” and her two puppies “DJ” and “Junior,” were in the front yard barking from behind a fence when the mailman sprayed them on Jan. 2.

Owner Bianca Green called the mailman’s actions “malicious” and unnecessary.

“Before he even gets to the mailbox, before he even fully gets to our house, he sprays them, coming from my neighbors’ house,” Green said. “He sprays them with pepper spray, the two puppies run, they’re running, they’re digging their face in the dirt.”

Green said the mailman claimed the dogs tried to bite him, but she said that didn’t make sense.

“They can’t jump over the gate, they can’t go under the gate, they can’t do anything other than bark,” she said.

Green told Local 10 News on Wednesday that she was happy to hear of an arrest.

“I didn’t expect it to happen like this and so quickly,” she said. “I feel good, I feel more comfortable because after he did that, he was still around the neighborhood.”

Before Spence’s arrest, USPS responded to Local 10 News with a statement: “Local management has been made aware of the situation, and it will be addressed appropriately as soon as possible.”

Police said Spence’s “current employment status is pending an internal review.”