He wanted to send puppies across the country. Through the mail. That’s illegal.

Here’s a holiday travel tale with a twist: Workers at a Fresno post office foiled a man’s effort to box up and mail two puppies to North Carolina.

According to a report by Fresno TV station KMPH, the man brought in boxes marked “birds.” The U.S. Postal Service told The Bee a clerk asked what what was inside and the man said it was indeed feathered freight.

Mailing warm-blooded animals such as dogs, cats and rabbits (even flying squirrels) is a violation of U.S. Postal Service regulations. Birds, bees and most small, cold-blooded animals are OK to ship.

KMPH said the man paid about $100 to send the animals back East, then left the post office.

When the clerk started to the move the box to a more secure location, he heard barks from inside, the Postal Service told The Bee.

The man was contacted. He returned and took the puppies. The incident is being investigated.

According to KMPH, the Postal Service released a statement:

“We take very seriously the humane treatment of animals. We are very proud of the actions of our retail associate and we urge all customers to please adhere to our mailing requirement standards and not intentionally deceive federal employees or potentially harm animals.”

This story was originally published November 30, 2016 at 12:04 PM with the headline "He wanted to send puppies across the country. Through the mail. That’s illegal.."