.....and the dog won! ***MESSAGE TO HOMEOWNERS*** Your little mut is not as cute to me as it is to you. If you want the work done you must accept this. I will not be arranging my work areas around wherever little precious wants to be at the time. Thank you for understanding. Now could you remove this little bastard from my hand and pass me the first aid kit. AGHHH!

I have run into the same. Customer leaves door open for me while they are out and I am face to face with fangs.

P.S. Please don't let the cat out.

My other favorite is guys that insist on bringing their dogs to the job sites. I love dogs and have one myself, but they do not belong on jobsites.

While working at a Veterinary Clinic, where all the animals are kept under close supervision, I received a phone call from a man who needed help, I think it was a bad breaker. he gave me his address and number and I said I would be there shortly. His last words to me were, Oh and by the way you are not afraid of animals are you, and I said as long as they behave, No. he said Ok, cause I have a dog, ok No problem.
Got there and he had the garage door open, went in and there was this huge , huge dog. I had never seen a dog that big, on the hoof he must of weighed 200 pounds, and his head look like a lion, it was a Mastif, My Gawd , those animals are large. But friendly he wouldnt leave me alone, they call them the gentle giants, appropriate name too,
Then on the other hand its the little one that drive me nutz, they yelp and nip at your heels, and the owner says oh he wont hurt as the little teeth bite into my ankle.

WOC

nothing like having the customer open a door for you to come face to face with rin-tin-tubby eh?

may you heal quickly E-Scott

( maybe you could carry some scobby snacks?)

I agree, dogs don't belong on jobsites. And homeowners should confine the pets to either the exterior, or in a cage.

My comments are not ment to be "cruel" to the pets, as I have a german shepherd, and she can be a big pain & get in the way real easy.

I've come across, dogs of varying demeanor, cats that either run, rub against me, or hiss & take a claw to my jean cuffs, skwaking birds, loose ferrets, a guy with a real big snake on his shoulders, a guy with a iguana, & a few assorted people who should be in cages during inspections.

John

Went to check a job once where I knew there was a mean German Shephard. I didn't see him anywhere, so I proceeded to get out and go to the passenger side of my van to get my tools. As I went around, I spotted him in the bushes, just about the time he spotted me. We both started running at the same time, but I was running away, and he was running TO. I barely got the passenger door shut, before he got a chunk out of my leg You would have had to been there to appreciate it

Scott,

That goes for inspectors too! I was sent out by a commiteeman from one of the towns that I work in. I asked him if it was township policy for people to walk into houses without the homeowner being there. He said," Not really, but in this case, this is a friend of mine." Well, as I walked in, I wasn't sure what I was inspecting, but I wasn't EXPECTING a dog! Now I too get along great with dogs, and I had some my self along the way. However you never know what the dog is thinking when you walk into their house, and they don't know who you are. They just want to defend themselves. Luckly, this dog was friendly and e got along real nice. That isn't always the case though. Too many people in the service trade, plumbers, electrical contractors, carpenters, even mailmen get bit ever year. This isn't fair to us and our insurance company isn't happy. The last thing that bothers me is that the homeowner always says, "Oh don't worry, he DOESN'T BITE!" Yeah right!

Harold

Student days, mailman for the lead up to Christmas - UK, hard frost on ground – black ice and concrete driveways down to house front door with deliveries. Bolt out the blue, small s**t-hound comes galloping up very fast and bites me in the ankle. Lucky for me it is so cold that winter that I’m wearing two pairs of corduroy trousers and all I feel is the lips whilst his teeth sink into the cloth. Try and turn to retaliate but the ice underfoot, with mail sack, precludes any offensive action and off it runs. Greatly annoyed by this assault.

Easter the following year, market place in the center of town, visiting from college between terms. I spot the dog – it spots me, and the animosity is there. This time I have a firm footing underneath and as he lunges, I am about to kick him into next week (with interest) a little old lady checks him on the end of a long leash… I could see the headline now in the local paper…

“Young yobo kicks pensioner’s dog to death!!”

I withdrew from the fray and could hear in my mind my old man saying, “…but life is not fair son!”.

Then again. There was this house where the canine occupant (very large) would come running at the front door and hurl itself at the glass window beside it just as I was posting the mail through the slot (in the UK mail is delivered into the house rather than a mail box). I have to confess that its antics always took me by surprise and scared the s**t out of me – I swear, one of these days it would burst though the glass! In addition it would snatch away, with vigor, any mail item that I offered through the owner’s slot such that I looked out for my fingers.

On my last round of the season the Fates smiled on me and a copy of the Fisherman’s Times was destined for the large dog household. As an act of revenge, I proffered the chronicle through the slot in the door and held on tight to the other end. The action was savage and I was sure that very little readable material made it his master. I departed with a smug feeling his time was yet to come when the master came home ……

Here's one a little off the subject. Over the summer I was wiring a 2 story bumped out addition on a home with 3 other guys. The addition only had the plywood on, no windows in yet. While working up in the second floors ceiling, where the new and old attics meet, I moved a piece of plywood, and bats came out from everywhere swooping down from the attic trying to fly out one of the second floors openings. What a sight to see three 200 pound tough guys running around with there hands in the air screaming louder the any woman I ever heard. Ok I lied make that 4 guys. guess you had to be there

One more. While doing a service I was entering all the cables into the new panel stripping them and dropping all the sheathing and garbage on the floor ( I usualy sweep everything up when I'm done) when I noticed my pile had gotten very small. The homeowner asks me to come up stairs for a second, and proceeds to show me the dogs bed in the kitchen where there is a happy dog with all his new toys. He had taken all the garbage 2 screwdrivers, 1 greenlee tester and a few of the old breakers back to his bed. I seen him come down to the basement a few times ,but never seen him take a thing

roger that, the "dog lovers "need to detain there animals when workmen are present, they say," he want bite" i have been there,... he did bite. i keep a can of dog spray with me just in case.

I can just picture the conversation now...

"What did you just do to my dog?"

"Keep it up, and you'll be next..."

Seriously, though! One shouldn't have to be concerned for his or her own personal safety due to the owners' pets. It's bad enough you have to look out for previous poor workmanship, etc. so as not to become injured.

The U. S. Postal Service letter carriers do carry spray due to the number of injuries from pets. In fact, they can refuse to deliver mail due to "lack of access" or some such wording, if an animal prevents them from safely delivering the mail.

[This message has been edited by ThinkGood (edited 12-30-2002).]

Ron F:

True story from a retired police officer I know.

He was assigned a radio call for a lady with a bat in her house. (The flying kind, not the baseball kind.)

He asked her for a broom, and proceeded to take a swing at the bat. She realized what he was doing, and started to complain that it would make a mess on her draperies!

He put down the broom, and told her that he'd be more than happy to leave if she isn't happy with this "service" which technically a pest-control company should be providing.

She got the picture. All that was needed next was a dust pan to transport the flat bat outside.

H'mmm... I think there's some merit to the theory that dogs only bite you when you think they're going to. I've been stuffed into many situations involving unfamiliar pets (including the ones where the owners say "don't worry, he WILL bite") and haven't been bit yet. Nine times out of ten the dog runs at me barking, sniffs a bit, and walks off. On the rare occasion it'll stand there barking incessantly, running back and forth, or engaging in some other demonstration of peculiar behavior. Most dogs like me. The rest seem afraid of me. Works well.

A friend's dog bites everyone - including its owners. The first time I was there, it was calmly sitting on the floor next to me within 5 minutes.

All that bullcrap about dogs sensing your fear isn't bullcrap, I don't think.

Note to pet owners:

If you claim to be an "animal lover" then PLEASE keep your pet away from people working with tools.

The animal can, and will, get hurt playing with a screwdriver, wire cutter or anything else with sharp edges.

Would you let a 4-year old child play with a screwdriver or a blowtorch (if it's a plumber coming in to do some work)?

I wouldn't. And I wouldn't let a dog go near one either.

Just another argument to present to those who insist on not keeping "Fluffy" away from people working with tools.

First of all I have to say that anytime someone is working on the house I put the dogs in the garage. Even if someone is working outside one of them gets real nervous and will bark. This proably annoys me more than the person doing the work. So in the garage they will go. I could never imagine having someone work on the house and leave the dogs inside. Inconceivable.

However there was a time about 8 years ago where the wife was gone and I had some friends over. Of course some beers were drunk and they crashed at my place. The next morning one of my friends said that he woke up and had to answer the call of nature. He said that one of the dogs would not let him off the sofa, evertime he would try Sam would growl at him. Finally his bladder was full enough that he made a break for it and made it to the bathroom.

Maybe not a funny story in the context of this posting, but if you know what a real chicken Sam is you would understand it better. He will growl at someone but as soon as that person tries to pet Sam his back legs start to tremble and he runs away.

Scott

A short story, I was working in a house years ago and this litle @#$%^&*()_ mexican hairless dog would follow me all around biting my ankles. Every time I turned around to get him, he would take off. The lady who was from the south in a typical southern drawl said, "Oh don't worry about Poncho, Harold, You have your big boots on. He can't hurt you." I wanted to drop kick that little dog from NJ back to Mexico. Never could catch him though.

Harold,
Did the little dog say "Yo quiero Inspector Bell"?
Worse than dogs, I've had customers that let their little toddlers follow me all around the house. ("Oh, he's just a curious little fellow").
The tikes don't bite (usually), but I carry lots of not-kid-safe tools, they get underfoot, and I think they may be learning things from me that aren't in their own best interest.

When the electricians worked in the appartment above us, they had the tenant's cat sitting on the ladder and curiously watching all their actions.

Um, that wasn't the local AHJ was it?
TW

put the dog up,or get someone else to do the work ! but..." he want bite you ".we as electricians have enough to fear then to fear of being attacked by a pet, this souuld not be an extra hazard of the job. dogs are nice until one bites you, then you have to go in for shots,etc.. " dog lovers, please secure you animals" when someone is working at your home or business.

Back before leash laws here, use to be dogs roaming all over the place in my town. I was a paper boy at the time. Had a 10 speed. I remember this one dog just kept coming at me, I would boot him right in the face several times. He kept at me till he got tired of chasing. Another dog bit me behind the leg as I was getting up on my bike. There was a state tropper who owned 3 pretty mean german shepards, he use to let them run around, they cornered me across the street from their home, started growling, thought I was a dead kid till the owner whistled them back home. There was a case just recently on TV where a women was mauled to death in her appartment complex because the owners never tied him or left him inside. She had asked the owners several times to restrain him. SHe had to peak out her door to see if the dog was loose. One day the dog got her and it was all over. A Dog is no better than the owner who raises them.

AHHHHH.... one of the perks of doing commercial electrical.......No pets...but hmmmmm...what is worse a 277 bite or a dog bite.

Electure,

Yeah, that was what that little mutt was saying to me. You talk about children though, we were doing a job and when we got done, we usually clean up. One time I guess everything wasn't cleaned up in this addtion, the homeowner let there children play in the construction area. There must have been a small piece of bare wire, and the kid stuck it into a working outlet in the othere section of the house. Kid got a shock, wasn't hurt, but it could have been worse. The blame would have to be on both parties. My guys didn't clean all of their mess. (Even though the job was under construction) and the homeowner shouldn't have let their kid play in the construction site. (It was a new addition to the house.)

No, wasn't the AHJ, don't have that in Austria. Maybe their boss.
Licensed electricians are allowed to work without having any inspections or like, if a homeowner wants to to any work s/he has to have it checked by an electrician, officially the electrician has done the wiring.
The lady who lives there commented: Hey, you got a new apprentice!

You should do what we were told by the local cable company... this is a quote from our actual flyer..

"Remove the dog from the backyard area, or no service will be provided..."

Later on down the deal..

Any dogs, thought to be hostile by the tech's will be pepper spray'd, and detained..

I have only had to pepper spray a dog twice in my two yrs on the job as a cable contractor, and I always thought it was a stupid thing to have in my tool belt until that stupid dog thought my skiny leg and thank god for lineman's boots.. rotfl Dog got a face full of pepper spray, and i got three stiches above the knee and then 15 on the 2nd and last one (wasnt wearing my knee highs...).. I quit after that..

See it could be worse.. well at least i hope you got no stiches or shots, those things really hurt...

No major damage was sustained! The customer was very appologetic and wasted no time in paying the bill!

I've had a few run ins with dogs myself through the years, mostly when I worked as a delivery driver for a local lumber company. Once, while I was trying to find a customers house in a neighborhood, I had a big german sheperd chase the truck down the street jumping up on the running board as I went. I reached for the door handle and waited until it jumped up again then flung the door open. I hit the dog square and sent him flying into a ditch, yelping as he rolled over and over. Looked in the rear view mirror and he was after the truck again as soon as he got back on his feet. I stepped on the gas and got out of there.

Another time, I was delivering a load of lumber to a mobile home that was being remodeled. Sign on the gate said "Beware of Dog" but I didn't see fido anywhere. Yard was completly fenced in, so I opened the gate, closed it behind me, and made my way to the front door. About three quarters of the way there I found out where the dog was hiding-under the trailer. He shot out from under there and the race was on. I had enough speed going that by the time I reached the gate I didn't have to open it. I cleared it in one leap. The carpenter watched the whole show from inside the house. Got quite a kick out of it too. Even after the owner chained up the dog I still didn't want to go back in the yard. I handed the lumber to them over the fence.

I had a "good dog" keep trying for my leg as I passed,back and forth, thru the gate to the back yard.

I finally clubbed him with a set of refrigeration gauges. He did his barking from the other side of the house for the remainder of the servcie call.