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April 30, 1997, Meter Readers
Armed Against Dogs - Summary
By Patti Roth
Special to The Herald
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Meter
readers for Florida Power & Light are packing a newfangled tool for
self-defense against one of the job's main hazards - aggressive dogs.
The Bite
Terminator barrier opens at the touch of a button becomes a harmless shield
between the meter reader and a potentially dangerous pet. It's much kinder and gentler than the pepper spray that
workers have carried for years.
John
Petty, a meter reader in the Fort Lauderdale district, said he used the
barrier three times. Twice the dogs ran away. The third dog ripped the
barrier as Petty hopped the fence unharmed.
May 2, 1999, Bark Worse than
Bite - Summary
The Daily Courier
British Columbia
For many
people, one of the reasons they buy dogs is for protection again intruders,
but for meter readers like Matt Haskett of BC
Gas, these dogs can cause a big problem. Thanks to a new product on the
market, however, meter readers are finding it a little easier to deal with
vicious dogs.
The Bite
Terminator, created by Louisiana resident
Mark Chamberlain, is being touted as one of the most humane ways to deal
with aggressive dogs. The Bite Terminator works by scaring the dog and
giving it something else to focus its attach on
rather than the meter reader's legs.
The idea
of the Bite Terminator is that the dog will attack the barrier, allowing
precious seconds for the attacked person to get to safety.
March 21, 2001, AEP Hopes To
'Terminate' Dog Bites
By Tonya Shipley
Zanesville Time Recorder
"We're
trying to protect ourselves, and the Bite Terminator gives us a strong
barrier between us and the dog", says Bob Moon, AEP supervisor of
field services.
Workers
will carry the device in a specially designed swivel holster. The device is
spring-loaded, with a button trigger on the handle. It inflates quickly and
with a sudden sound to startle dogs. When fully opened, it creates a
physical and visual barrier that disorients dogs.
March 17, 2001, Bite Terminator
Protects AEP Workers
By Michelle Blum
The Intelligencer
Wheeling, West Virginia
AEP employees began carrying the Bite
Terminator on their belts this week, hoping to decrease the over 66 dogs bites in the last 3 years. AEP officials say the
unit seems like a menacing device in a belt-side holster but it's actually a humane tool that helps employees avoid
canine attacks.
"At AEP, we take employee
and public safety very seriously. Every year, our personnel sustain
injuries from dog attacks, some of them serious and all of them painful. We
have trained our workers with techniques to avoid dog attacks for quite
some time. Nevertheless, dogs that appear friendly or tame often turn
vicious in a split second without warning," said Garbashe,
who supervises meter readers.
He noted
that in such cases, the Bite Terminator is very useful because it deflects
the attack without hurting the animal. And the
products human method has brought endorsements from various animal
protection agencies and veterinarians throughout the United States and Canada.
SaskPower meter reader Cindy Soles says she has
used the Bite Terminator Dog Barrier on the job. Herald photo by Karen
Longwell
Dog bites will hopefully become a thing of the
past for local meter readers as SaskPower becomes the first organization in
the province to implement a new safety technology.
The Bite Terminator is used by utilities and other organizations in Canada
and the United States as a way to keep workers safe from aggressive dogs
while on the job. About the size of a regular umbrella, the unit can be
deployed in as little as 0.6 seconds - blocking the dog's visibility.
Dog bites will hopefully become a thing of the
past for local meter readers as SaskPower becomes the first organization in
the province to implement a new safety technology.
The Bite Terminator is used by utilities and other organizations in Canada
and the United States as a way to keep workers safe from aggressive dogs
while on the job. About the size of a regular umbrella, the unit can be
deployed in as little as 0.6 seconds - blocking the dog's visibility.
"With warmer weather approaching, more people are inclined to keep their
pets outdoors during the day," said Dennis Zwarych, SaskPower meter reader
supervisor. "Should one of our meter readers encounter a dog that poses a
threat, this device can be used to help prevent injuries - to both our meter
readers and the animal."
Dog bites are one of the leading causes of injury to meter readers,
according to SaskPower. Of the 53 injuries or near injuries that occurred in
2007, 83 per cent were the result of an encounter with a dog.
Meter readers visit homes on average about four times per year. Often the
meter, either electric or gas, is outside the customer's home making it
necessary for the meter reader to enter the property
"To do their job safely, our meter readers rely on our customers to ensure a
safe environment," said Zwarych.
"Customers can help us by making sure their dogs are securely leashed
outdoors or kept indoors during the day."
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