{"id":294923,"date":"2021-02-24T11:58:12","date_gmt":"2021-02-24T01:58:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=294923"},"modified":"2025-11-07T12:06:32","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T02:06:32","slug":"own-a-dog-tell-ergon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2021\/02\/24\/own-a-dog-tell-ergon\/","title":{"rendered":"Own A Dog? Tell Ergon!"},"content":{"rendered":"

February 24, 2021<\/strong><\/p>\n

Two Queensland meter readers are recovering from serious injuries after being attacked by dogs on the loose.<\/p>\n

Ergon Energy\u2019s spokesperson Cloe Kernick said the incidents were a painful reminder of what happens when gates are left open or dogs are able to jump the fence.<\/p>\n

\u201cDog owners need to take responsibility for their pets for the safety of everyone walking in their neighbourhood, including meter readers doing their rounds,” Ms Kernick said.<\/p>\n

\u201cDog attacks are traumatic and can have lasting effects on the physical and mental health of the victims and their families \u2013 some people are literally scarred for life.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery day, meter readers go door-to-door on foot as part of their job, so the risk is always front of mind for them and we hope that dog owners understand the part they play in keeping our people safe.”<\/p>\n

In January 2019, Ergon Energy introduced a policy that prevents crews and meter readers from entering yards where it known there are dogs but it\u2019s not clear they are restrained or in a separate area.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since then there has been a 40 per cent reduction in the number of incidents and injuries.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile we\u2019ve seen a vast improvement in the last two years, meter readers are still being bitten by dogs and we need the community\u2019s help to stop these horrific incidents,” Ms Kernick said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve introduced a free SMS notification service for dog owners, who can register online to receive a text the day before their scheduled meter read.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis gives them time to prepare for the meter reader\u2019s visit to ensure safe entry and avoid a skipped read.”<\/p>\n

Householders can use Ergon\u2019s Customer Self Service portal<\/a>\u00a0to update their dog details so the meter reader is aware of exactly how many dogs are meant to be on site.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If two dogs are listed and the meter reader can only see that one is secured, they cannot guarantee safe entry.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have circumstances where people either get a new dog or, sadly, lose a pet and the last thing they think about is updating their details until they receive an estimated meter read, so please get in touch with the most up-to-date information,” Ms Kernick said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe understand that many people think their dogs wouldn\u2019t hurt a fly and the safe entry policy shouldn\u2019t apply to them, but you never know how pets are going to react to strangers and our people can\u2019t take any chances because we\u2019ve seen some horrific injuries caused by small dogs that look harmless,\u201d Ms Kernick said.<\/p>\n

If meter access is an ongoing issue or they receive a “skipped read” card, dog owners also have the option of submitting an online self-meter read.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two Queensland meter readers are recovering from serious injuries after being attacked by dogs on the loose.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":276896,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[32],"yoast_head":"\nOwn A Dog? Tell Ergon! - southburnett.com.au<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Two Queensland meter readers are recovering from serious injuries after being attacked by dogs on the loose.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2021\/02\/24\/own-a-dog-tell-ergon\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Own A Dog? 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