Walk through GATE spraying my watchDog with pepper spray

[19hhbelgian]

When our meter reader comes out, his scanner thingy flashes and actually verbally says "warning dog alert" when they roll up to our house. Our meter is on the front of the house (

) so they don't have to go into our fenced yard, but if anybody treated my dogs that way you can believe I'd be on them like a ton of bricks, whether they think they have the right or not! You shouldn't have to

to them. It's their job to provide electric to us, and if they want to get paid for it, it's also their responsibility to send out a person with at least half a brain in order to deal with this type of situation properly.

 

[dacjohns]

And whose responsiblity is it to make sure the employees have a safe work environment.

 

[Wynette]

Quote:
It's not a question of whether they "think" they have the right - they most likely DO have the right; it's up to us to be responsible and either negotiate a compromise or not put ourselves in a position where our dogs will be in jeopardy. JMO

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

I would meet him at the gate with a gun on my hip an nicely tell him that if he ever maced my dog again me an him would have a problem. Did that once to my cousins power guy. But I live in Georgia an we can do that kind of stuff.

 

[MuranoFarms]

Quote:
Its the companies responsibility! All they have to do is write "a meter reader will be in your area Monday May 16!" on the previous months bill. Problem solved!

 

[Boyd]

Equuos50,

While that may be true in New Jersey, not so in Michigan. Many meter readers are 1099 employees and do not work for the power company, they work for themselves and bill the company so this rule does not apply. I only had one attempt to do anything to my dog, and he had to change his shorts soon thereafter.

I was a package courier with one of the colored trucks, and have had MANY dog and dog bite issues (to the point of being armed on the job because of my rural route) but for houses with known guard dogs, I would drive up, honk, call my customers cell # or they were OUT OF LUCK. My health and safety wasn't worth endangering because of a loose dog. In this case, the meter reader goes to the same house every month. By now he should know where all the big guard dogs are. If he is walking up and spraying the dog EVERY time he comes, then he's abusing his so called "privilege". Somebody needs to spray him with pepper spray or hit him with a bean bag.

 

[Boyd]

Quote:
Its the companies responsibility! All they have to do is write "a meter reader will be in your area Monday May 16!" on the previous months bill. Problem solved!

or have him knock on the door, call the customer... or COME BACK NEXT TIME!

 

[TriciaHowe]

I had a big stink with my electric company about the exact same thing. I even went so far as to lock my dogs up for 2 straight days and they never showed till day 3 (it was raining the previous 2 days, guess they didn't want to get wet). I ended up paying an extra $5 month for an electronic meter that they can read from outside the gate. What a pain in the hiney we went through though....Good luck to you.
PS He had pepper sprayed my dogs too....
PSS I am home ALL the time and they NEVER beep the horn or anything to let you know they are here. That was the most frustrating part.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

All our power meters now send a signal to the power company. No one comes out anymore. Never did understand if it used the power lines or sell phone towers. Both were talked about but what ever it is it works.

 

[Iowa Roo Mom]

My father works for a utility company in town (gas). He isn't a meter reader, he is the guy that gets called to check for leaks, repair and (un)install meters. In his 30+ year career, he has only been bitten twice, both by the same breed. If there was a house with a known "dog problem", they used to just estimate the useage. Now, they can read the meters right from the street, so the entire issue has been solved all together.