12 yr old Blue dog just bit the water meter guy...Update

[4 Love of Baby Chickens]

My Electric meter man and my Water meter man always have a big box of dog treats in their trucks and always keep about a dozen in their pockets to keep dogs from threatning them. The last time the Water meter man came was last week Koda was alarmed and kept herself inbetween him and me. I told her to stop growling at the guy and she did. I scratched her behind the ears and she wagged her tail so she knew that she was doing the right thing.

 

[Imp]

Ugh, A bad situation. Hope it goes well.

Is it possible to sign up for a bill averaging plan. Where they only come out once a year to read the meter?

or

Have a electronic meter that is read at the office remotely?

Good luck

Imp

 

[lemurchaser]

My meter used to be in my back yard. The meter people could never get in, because I keep the gate locked (to keep dogs in and prevent accidents). They were calling me and getting upset that they could never read the meter. I asked for a call the day they were coming and I'd leave the gate unlocked for them. They told me they had too many customers to "call each one individually prior to a visit"... whatever. I said the gate was staying locked, what other alternatives do I have? The next week they moved the meter out to the street, and no longer need access.

I would call the company and ask what the alternatives are. Really this is a huge liability to risk it happening again.

Dogs learn to hate people in uniforms pretty easily. Meter reader/mailman/UPS shows up, always looks the same, and every time the dog barks and "scares off" these intruders. The dog feels awesome, he saved the day in his mind! And oh is he ready the next time this "threat" shows up. This builds and builds until it changes from just barking to "I'm gonna do something". Most of the time they haven't had bad experiences, they are just learning that aggression towards this person gets them to go away (which is the goal) and so it escalates until it is truly a problem.

People in this kind of field get hurt and harassed by dogs so much, that they tend to have a short fuse with the dogs.

 

[cw]

then there is the a bunch in are neck of the woods that purposly tie up there viscious animals by the meter when they know they havent paid there water bill and there water is gonna get shut off or there meter will be pulled, it really sucks for the animal cause then we have to get the sheriff involved and when a dog bites a sheriff it usually ends up getting euthenized

 

[luvzmybabz]

In some states one bite is tolerated the bitee can sue dog owner but dog is not put down. The second bite will be the dog listed as vicious and put down. I wonder if this is the route he is trying to go, but there has to be proof that the dog bit on the first time.

My aunt inherited a Mini Spitz from me about 12 years ago. The dog was not vicious but VERY protective. The fence had 2 gates one on either side of the house, One went directly into the dog run the other allowed access to the yard. The gate that went into the dog run had 2 signs posted one Beware of Dog and another that my aunt had made telling meter readers to use other gates. Well the new Natural Gas reader I guess could not read and went in the dogs gate CB (cotton Ball) had him cornered growling like a guard animal. The Gas guy called the police from his cell phone and my aunt hears her doorbell ring the police is saying that her dog had someone cornered. My aunt goes around to the dog gate and opens the gate CB runs to her licking her faces and jumping around wanting to play. The Gas guy had a nip on his leg no blood barely a mark. He wants the dog picked up them my aunt shows him the 2 signs on the gate and the police officer refused to call animal control.

This dog had bitten while I owned her a friend of mine came out of the house carrying my 6 month old son. She had ahold and was shaking her head until I grabbed the baby then she let go and reached up to him for some loving. She barely tolerated my sister carrying the baby, it was her's and her mommy's baby. My friend said he was glad that we had a dog that protective of us and left it at that.

CB died last summer at 15 while at my house being dog sat, I cried for hours even though she was in a better place vet said she should have died 5 years ago due to digestive problems, my aunt mixed very specific wet dog food and had to add mineral oil and vitamins every day.

 

[thebritt]

Yeah - just got the update. I put it on my first post because I wasn't sure how to update appropriately on the thread title. Bummer.

 

[Redyre Rotties]

Quote:
Do yourself a favor. Be very sorry and very apologetic and take full responsibility when you talk to animal control or the water company. Older dogs can have things happen health wise that cause behavior changes.

Where liability is concerned you do not have a leg to stand on, so your only option is to be apologetic and keep your hat in your hand.

This is a prime reason why I will never fence a meter inside any area with my dogs. My dogs are too important to me for me to put them in that situation, or the person who has to come on my property to do their job.

 

[rainplace]

I disagree with giving treats to dogs when you're not the owner. I take care of the sweetest bull mastiff I've ever met. The UPS guy has treats with him all the time and Otis runs to the truck as soon as he hears it coming up the drive. Recently the regular UPS guy hasn't been doing our route for whatever reason, and the new one doesn't do treats. Otis won't leave him alone when he comes, jumping up at him, pushing him over and acting super aggressive. I put him in the house now when any delivery vehicle comes onto the property.

 

[Cara]

I wouldn't want anyone feeding my dogs treats without my knowledge period. None of them are aggressive, a couple are the opposite (ie. obnoxiously friendly), but I don't want someone else feeding my dog anything. They don't know what they can and can't eat, and in the long run it could make them easy to steal. We keep ours in a fenced yard separate from the driveway/front door, but I could see it leading to a dog getting run over in different circumstances. Pretty soon the dog is going to charge any vehicle arriving.

Also, I don't trust a stranger to not let the dogs loose entering and exiting the gate, and to be sure it's shut properly. We live so far from anywhere that we never have unexpected company, but even so I don't want anyone near my dogs without me being around.

I know it may sound neurotic, but the reasoning behind it is someone letting my first dog loose and her being hit by a car and later euthanized. I feel that I owe it to them, and my own peace of mind, for them never to be alone around someone I don't trust to look out for them.

In the 11 yrs he's lived with us, he's never bitten the water person or the electric meter reader before.....

It sounds like he's bitten someone other than the meter readers before?​

 

[thebritt]

Quote:
That's why I ws considering putting treats in a water-proof bag or whatever so the reader could use as needed. If they're treats I supply, I wouldn't be worried.
Just spoke with a sheriff/animal control friend of mine...
Questions include:
Did your DD see the bite mark?
Where was it located?
Write a description of the incident and your conversation.
She suggested that, since it's been 2 weeks (quarentine situations usually have to occur w/in the 1st 24 hrs of a bite), maybe he got bitten by a different dog more recently, but is going after us because my daughter was a witness to his distress.

and