Trends, Reports & Analyses
When Dogs, Roosters or Bulls Attack
It’s not Animal Planet’s “When Animals Attack,” but the human-animal encounters are just as scary.
A friendly reminder to members to restrain dogs when a co-op worker comes to the house. (Image courtesy of Ruralite Services).
Near Gainesville, Fla., a family’s “pet” bull ripped off the door of a truck while a meter reader from Clay Electric Cooperative was paying a service call. At another Florida utility, an aggressive rooster descended upon a service person.
And then there are the uncounted numbers of dog bites suffered by many in the name of providing good member service. Nationwide, about 4.5 million dog bites occur each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Animal versus field personnel remains an issue even as more electric cooperatives switch to automated meter systems. Energy auditors, member service representatives, or contractors—any worker going into a member’s home—are at risk.
“Every co-op has to deal with this dilemma,” said Brenda Somes, the member and marketing services coordinator at Ruralite Services, Forest Grove, Ore., who observed the issue in her previous communicator position at Clay Electric Cooperative, Keystone Heights, Fla.
“Some dogs are so friendly they will hold the door open for a thief stealing the TV,” Somes said. “But for other dogs, there’s no sign above their head that says, ‘Watch out for this one.’”
Common sense and preparedness are the order of the day when dealing with animals. (See related video. ) And co-ops are “obligated to take protective steps to keep workers safe, even if the workplace is a field,” said Bud Branham, interim safety manager of NRECA’s Rural Electric Safety Achievement Program.
A bull rammed and gored this Florida co-op’s truck while the meter reader was on a call. The worker escaped without injury; the truck sustained $1,400 in damages. (Photo By: Clay EC)
Animal hazards are covered in NRECA’s Loss Control Internship, a series of four, one-week courses co-offered with the National Utility Training and Safety Education Association. The program’s library contains papers written by past students on that subject, as well as others.
Co-ops can take a proactive, preventive approach by “identifying and assessing hazards and then taking appropriate precautions,” said Perron Nicholas, a manager at NRECA’s executive education and training programs. He recommends having procedures in place, providing protective equipment, and having a plan if something does happen.
Co-ops seeking preventive solutions can also try involving their customer service departments to gather intelligence, said NRECA’s Branham. “They understand the difficult members, and who might have aggressive animals. They can take notes that field crews can include in work orders.”
When addressing potential animal hazards, co-ops have to tread carefully because the issue can create friction with members. Pepper spray, while it can slow down a snarling dog and give a worker enough time to escape, can be iffy.
“For one, you don’t want to make the member mad by spraying their dog,” said Mike Rouse, meter reader supervisor at Peace River Electric Co-op, Wauchula, Fla., which arms its workers with “dog sticks,” a long, thin piece of PVC pipe with a tennis ball at the end to create a barrier between man and animal.
“And sometimes when you spray the dog, it makes it madder and it will remember the worker the next time he comes.”
Not all animal run-ins are scary. This dog jumped onto the lap of FEM Electric’s Dan Feldhaus during a service call. (Photo By: FEM Electric)
Ruralite’s Somes found a friendly way around the problem by designing a “Nice Doggie?” public service ad that co-ops can run in their magazines.
“Dogs are great pets, and many are excellent protectors of their family’s home and yard,” the ad reads, ending with a reminder to keep dogs inside or restrained when utility workers are expected.
But what should a worker do when faced with a growling, menacing dog—or in the case of the 1,000 pound bull and Clay Electric’s Chris McDilda, who managed to climb in the back of the truck and then scramble into the cab before driving off to safety?
The tips from co-ops are as varied as the terrain they serve: Don’t wear sunglasses, because dogs don’t like them. Carry an automatic pop-up umbrella, which, when activated, creates a barrier between human and animal. Most of the time snakes will slither away, and if an alligator is in pursuit, run in a zigzag pattern because the reptiles have a poor turn radius.
And then there’s this old standby from Dan Weston, director of operations at Washington Electric Co-op, East Montpelier, Vt.: “For several years we have been investing more heavily in dog biscuits.”
For more information on the Loss Control Internship and the Rural Electric Safety Achievement Program, registered users of cooperative.com can click here.