Well at looks like after buying a house that was suitable for my dogs (6' privacy fence all around backyard) and the previous owners had dogs back there, I'm being singled out by the town because they say the dogs aren't secured for the city meter readers to come back in my yard and read the meter.

The issue is simple. The box is on the back of the house on the corner. They claim that my two dogs are a problem and they can't get back there. One is a 50 lb. mutt who is very nice and just likes to bark, but is very nice. The other dog is like a 10 lb. cockapoo that is a whiny little dog but certainly not a dog to be scared of. They either want me to move the fence back around the box so they can walk to the box at any time without going in the fence, or to pay to have the box moved on the side of the house which would be $$texas, or build another fence inside the fence and not allow them to run in the whole yard. Unfortunately I was keeping these dogs for others (one is my parents and one is my brothers now ex g/fs dog) and simply don't have the money to drop on rebuilding the fence for dogs that aren't even mine, so I'm trying to give them away.

I've been looking for somebody to give the dogs to, but this morning they said that if I don't find somebody in the next couple of weeks, they are going to yank my meter out until the dogs are gone. I have told them if they would let me know when they are going to be reading the meters that I can chain them so the guys can get in no problem, but I've been told they must be able to come in at any time 24 hours a day in case of a fire or anything else.

Has anybody else had to deal with this shit, or heard of anything like this? Its not something I can just appeal to the city because the city also handles the power for us. Lucky me. I don't know if I have any recourse to appeal this and say "this is bullshit". Or does anybody want a dog or two? Sorry I had to kind of vent as I got into it with the city code enforcer today who came in and told me that if I don't have the dogs gone in a couple of weeks that I am going to lose the power. I wish I had the money that I could put a solar/wind system in my yard and tell them to take their motherfucking power box and stick it up their ass, but that ain't a possibility.

8/15/2006 8:58:20 AM

your meter reader is obviously black

no white person would make this big of a problem out of walking around some dogs

8/15/2006 9:02:02 AM

that wasn't necessary...whoever this guy is could just be afraid of dogs OR the power company has legit reason to make this request.

but i've never heard of this request...and i guess you don't have the digital meter reader...ask if they can install one of those--they don't even have to come to your house to read the meter anymore with digitals.

a side note--i always kept my back gate locked before i had a digital meter--and it was a pretty tall fence. i could never figure out how he got back there to check it, unless he had binoculars or something.

8/15/2006 9:05:57 AM

obviously black

^

8/15/2006 9:11:41 AM

I am just saying, we had some black people who came to our house to tell us our dog was keeping them from walking home (around the street block) because he barks at them...

he has an in-ground fence and cant leave the yard and we told them that and they went to the police and said our dog threatened them... luckly I know and have every kenly cops number in my phone and they laughed about in and told the people to find another way to walk around the block...


The cop said they were probably trying to get bit so they could take us to court or something...

8/15/2006 9:13:54 AM

my ex had a similar problem and she called the power company and made them inform her anytime they where planning to come over and read the meter. I *believe* she claimed that she always keeps her gates locked and that if the city needed to read the meter, they needed to let her know. That way on meter day, she just left the dogs inside. (not sure that is an option, but it beats the shit out of giving away the dogs)

8/15/2006 9:16:18 AM

whats the name of this song? ^

8/15/2006 9:18:15 AM

Man, I'd move before I'd give up my dog.

That's after exhausting every other venue for resolving this.

8/15/2006 9:34:22 AM

just put up mirrors so he can read the reflections and never has to go inside the fence

8/15/2006 9:36:53 AM

simple

8/15/2006 9:43:07 AM

CITY OF RALEIGH, CARY and GARNER CANNOT force you to move fencing. Unless this law came into effect less than 3 years ago it's bullshit.

My basis for my arguement is I read meters for a summer a few years ago in Raleigh and Cary. Gas Meters to be exact but the laws apply the same. We had call customers who had fences around their meters and schedule a day for them to have their dogs inside. You have a right BY LAW to secure your property by any legal means. (Dogs, fences etc are legal... motion tracking guns are not).

If they fight you tell them that city code requires that water meters be either on "no mans land" or near the street. If it's in the middle of your back yard it is THEIR RESPONSIBILITY to move it at THEIR COST because they installed it incorrectly.

I don't want you to take my word for me cuz it wont stand up in court. Call the city inspectors office and ask them. Get them to send you in writing your rights!

8/15/2006 9:48:08 AM

As to their color, one is black and one is white. They both came over, but the morbidly obese white gentleman was the only one that entered the yard.

I have asked several times if they would just tell me when they are coming by or give me a scheduled day and I would chain them up or put the smaller one in the house. But they have said thats not a solution because they need to get in my yard 24/7, which I thinks is bullshit. I do keep my gate locked, and like I said, its a damn 6' tall privacy fence that you can barely even see inside, let alone having to worry about the dogs escaping.

And I live in a small town, Scotland Neck to be exact, (so I'm SOL on the Cary/Raleigh/Wake thing)so the chance of them installing digital meters is about nonexistent. Of course if they did this then they wouldn't have to employee two fucking guys to read meters and they could do most of the town of 2400 people inside of a day. Is this something I should ask to see the ordinance requiring this or something?

My grandfather suggested the mirrors thing and I suggested scheduling a day. Neither was an option to them because they said they HAVE to be able to get to it unimpeded 24/7. Its not like I have fucking attack dogs back there or anything, its two normal/playful dogs who don't even jump up on you.

[Edited on August 15, 2006 at 10:52 AM. Reason : ]

8/15/2006 10:49:51 AM

I call BS. This has to violate some personal property laws. I'd start reading up on documention pertaining to this. If you can find a court case, law or code saying anything that supports you, cite it in a certified letter to whomever is in charge of these things.

You might be able to find applicable laws, codes, rulings that completely support you. But even if you don't you can find something half-way applicable and make it sound really official and important. Call their bluff, say you've got a lawyer. Extra points if you get the certified letter sent by a lawyer on their letterhead. Make them scared you're going to sue if they don't back down.

Another thought, can you get them to show you in writing the law saying they have to have 24/7 access? Call their bluff on that, too, I bet they're lying their asses off because they're so lazy.

[Edited on August 15, 2006 at 11:14 AM. Reason : ]

8/15/2006 11:12:50 AM

Yea I am thinking the same thing myself about asking to see the ordinance/law stating this. I may even raise a stink with their boss the mayor directly because he is a close friend of my grandparents.

8/15/2006 11:18:36 AM

lets make signs and protest

maybe call "five on your side"

8/15/2006 11:20:14 AM

just call a lawyer and get a consult on the problem

8/15/2006 11:25:37 AM

8/15/2006 11:33:23 AM

Quote :

"One is a 50 lb. mutt who is very nice and just likes to bark, but is very nice. The other dog is like a 10 lb. cockapoo that is a whiny little dog but certainly not a dog to be scared of."

maybe the dog is nice . . . but to someone who doesn't know the dog, a barking dog isn't a nice dog. and ankle biters are almost worse than a full size dog. you just wanna kick them away from you, but then you risk some whiny home owner complaining and you getting in trouble.

But I would def. make them show you the laws in writing. And it couldn't hurt to see if the mayor can do somehting, if you know him well.

8/15/2006 11:33:50 AM

hahaha

8/15/2006 11:33:57 AM

At no point should have to pay for their inconvenience. It's their job to figure out how to read the meter ... not yours. I'd take a bit of time to read up on personal property laws and figure out who can and cannot enter your property without your permission. Also read up on the contract you signed with your power company for fine print, etc.

8/15/2006 12:02:33 PM

seriously, our meter reader used binoculars

8/15/2006 12:11:45 PM

My dog is half rott half pitt. Huge lean meaty mean ass looking dog. I was in the back yard and the meter reader guy pulled up and just opened the fence. My dog of course charged at him and started barking. My dog is very nice and i knew he wouldnt attack him, but that guy was not scared at all. He just threw the dog a treat and read the meter and walked away.

That is BS that they want you to move your fence or get rid of your dogs. The guy who complained should have been fired after investigation that it was not a ligit complaint. Its sad that lazy useless people can get away with shit.

8/15/2006 12:13:47 PM

see, that's a smart meter reader...come prepared with treats and there's no problem...dogs are weak to their power...mmmmmmmmmmmmm treats

8/15/2006 12:16:43 PM

Problem is Perlith, I signed no contract for any utilities, the city provides all power and water. So even worse than me taking an issue about Duke Power or something to the city council is taking city employees to task with the city, which I'm sure as some new kid in a small town full of folks who have known everybody for years will probably side with the other guy, in addition to looking at me as the out-of-towner trying to change the status quo or some bullshit.

8/15/2006 12:18:19 PM

invite the meter reader guy over for lunch or if you see him next time invite him in for a drink. Get him to meet your dogs. Try to be nice and make friends. That way he will look like a total asshole (well more than he is) if he complains.

8/15/2006 12:54:48 PM

this just seems ridiculous. I could call the City Counsel (especially if one member is an attorney) and complain. Maybe write a letter to the local paper. They love stories like this.

I live in a small town with a digital reader.

How much would it be to move the reader?

8/15/2006 12:55:33 PM

Couple grand. Money I don't have with a second baby on the way and me going back to college in the evenings.

The other option I am looking at if I have no alternative but to bend to their demands would be to build a little fence inside my main fence. My dad and I did this at his house, one of those ready-made sectioned fences from Lowe's. We have a rusted out gate in the corner that is unused and hasn't even been used in like 5-10 years. If we can make it work, we may try and build a little fence in the corner so this jerk can go in the gate and not have to worry about the dogs. This may be my best option and not cost too much.

8/15/2006 1:15:15 PM

is this the dog you're giving away?

8/15/2006 1:25:24 PM

Quote :

"nvite the meter reader guy over for lunch or if you see him next time invite him in for a drink"

Actually, I kinda agree with this. See if you can't sit down with the folks responsible (meter person, city council, power company, whatever) during a short meeting and resolve this. Sounds a bit contorted, but will make it look like you are trying to find a resolution to the issue, rather than causing further problems. The "small town" stuff ... heh, I have to be more considerate about driving where I'm at

Otherwise, build the little fenced walkway.

8/15/2006 5:02:18 PM

My grandparents used to have their meter behind the fence and they had a doverman. I think they just knocked on the door and my grandparents just brought the dog in the house.

Also the city Of Raleigh just installed a new meter in my house. I think all they have to do to read it is to drive down the street and it is done wireless somehow - not sure how it works.

8/15/2006 5:42:20 PM

I call BS.

I grew up with a Rottie, a German Shep, and a psychotic lab chow mix (at different times) that lived inside a fence. Just inside the fence was our meter. The meter was readable from outside of the fence, but some meter readers would lean on or lean over the fence to get a better look. We even had a meter reader bitten because he did not obey the signs that stated "Beware of the Dog." Meter readers even knew that if they let us know when they were coming we would secure our dogs in a smaller pen away from the meter. Not once was any sort of complaint made against us and our dogs. I have never heard that it is necessary for them to have access to the meter 24/7 in the case of an emergency. I would fight them on this.

Quote :

"The other option I am looking at if I have no alternative but to bend to their demands would be to build a little fence inside my main fence. My dad and I did this at his house, one of those ready-made sectioned fences from Lowe's. We have a rusted out gate in the corner that is unused and hasn't even been used in like 5-10 years. If we can make it work, we may try and build a little fence in the corner so this jerk can go in the gate and not have to worry about the dogs. This may be my best option and not cost too much."

This is probably going to be your best bet. We eventually ended up doing the same thing so that our meter reader could get a more accurate reading because we had some rather erratic power bills, but not because the power company forced us to do it.

[Edited on August 15, 2006 at 6:07 PM. Reason : ""]

8/15/2006 6:05:35 PM

Quote :

"and the previous owners had dogs back there, "

so how come this wasn't an issue with the previous dogs?

good luck

8/15/2006 6:09:44 PM

Ok, got a little more info about this. Apparently the meter reading gentleman is a black man and is scared of dogs. Not sure why he picked a job that would obviously have him in the presence of them, but I have to deal with that.

My brother who was off today and friends with the PD Chief called him up and went downtown to see the ordinances himself. Sure enough, they have it in writing that it must be accessible at all times. So I have no legal standing on this apparently. Seems the law was enacted after the previous owners of the house moved out and while my great great aunt lived here without pets before she went to the nursing home. Now it looks like my only option is giving up the dogs or building a little fenced in section.

In other news, my wife got short-changed like a bitch at work and was knocked almost $5.35/hour off her pay by her fucking crooked bosses. Instead of making her manager, apparently they have decided to bump her to a waitress pay, so she is making below min. wage now for the past 2 weeks and was never told this by the owner. So now she has a check for under $150 for 2 weeks work. Just one piece of bullshit after another. With this blow, she has to start looking for another job AND now I don't know if we are going to have the money to build the little fence. When it rains it fucking pours.

8/15/2006 10:04:51 PM

That's a really crummy situation. I wish I could help but we're taking a break from fostering for a bit.

Check with Rohe Animal Rescue for the cockapoo. They do a lot of smaller breeds, and the lady I met today does a lot of poodle foster work.

Good luck with it!! Oh, and make sure to put adoption fees on them, or at least conduct a home visit (like maybe take the dogs to their new homes so you can ensure they're good environments) to discourage crappy owners. Especially with the cockapoo since it's one of those more sought-after dogs.

8/15/2006 10:17:05 PM

take out the meter reader guy

8/15/2006 10:32:39 PM

is it legal to change someones pay scale without telling them???

8/15/2006 10:38:00 PM

Well, contact the town and tell them that you can't quite afford to do fix up the fence quite perfect right then and ask if you can compromise for a month or two and just keep the dogs in the house on meter reading days until you can afford to build the second fence.

I mean, they're people too. There's got to be some rational human being in there who can say "Okay, this 24 hour access stuff is our policy but two months isn't a problem."

Don't just give up the dogs! That'd be hell on them and you to just remove them from your family like that.

8/15/2006 11:19:36 PM

wait until I get back, and then we'll fuck some people up

8/16/2006 11:30:04 PM

It's simple. Just install solar panels.

8/16/2006 11:41:48 PM

why are black people so afraid of dogs nowadays

8/16/2006 11:58:31 PM

man... i wanna say something mean but i won't

8/17/2006 12:25:04 AM

We have settled on doing the smaller fence and reopening the old gate as the best and most economical solution to the problem. So no having to give the dogs away and no bullshit from them. If they have a problem after that point, they can fuck off, I will have fufilled my responsibility.

8/17/2006 6:36:03 AM

You should protest by parking in the middle of main street. That'll blow their minds.

Also, congrats on another child

8/17/2006 12:45:38 PM

Ahahaha, thanks. I just edited the Wikipedia entry last night to make sure people knew if they drive into town about the parking in the middle of the road.

8/17/2006 2:51:15 PM

Quote :

"your meter reader is obviously black"

lol but true

8/17/2006 3:37:10 PM

If you can see the meter from the edge of the fence, change it to a 90 degree angled meter so that you can see it from outside the fence. That is what we had to do at my parents house. Might cost a little, but you are just exchanging a meter.

8/18/2006 10:52:29 AM

just burn the house down and when you rebuild from insurance proceeds have the meters installed toward the front.

8/18/2006 12:31:12 PM

^Maybe a little overkill. Haha

^^Again they said they have to be able to physically get at the damn thing, so thats not an option. They have to be able to stand at the damn box.

My grandpa is going to get the fencing pieces today when he takes his camper trailer to Rocky
Mount, so he and I and my bro are going to build the smaller fence tomorrow and fix the gate and then that nigger can suck my cock if he has any other problems. In fact I think I may buy some Rotts that have been beaten by black men and unleash them in my backyard without food for a few days and hope they scare this faggot to death trying to eat that nigger.

8/18/2006 1:57:21 PM

just put a sticky note on the meter that says YOU FUCKING PUSSY

8/18/2006 4:36:27 PM

...dude...just keep your fucking dogs in the house when you're not there.

8/18/2006 10:19:52 PM