A former electricity meter reader says he was bitten by dogs several times while on the job and the fear of an attack was a daily concern.
Kane Minion, 42, was working as a meter reader contracted to Energex last Saturday when he was mauled to death by dogs on a property at Greenbank in Logan.
Daniel Davidson was a meter reader around Ipswich and Brisbane for four years until 2020 and said aggressive dogs all too often posed a danger to meter readers.
Energex said there were 142 reported dog-related incidents with staff and contractors from January to December 3 this year.
Mr Minion's death was the sole fatality during this period, but there was one person hospitalised, 14 people requiring medical treatment, 34 requiring first aid and 92 close calls.
There were 53 incidents in south-east Queensland, 49 in northern zones and another 40 in Bundaberg Burnett, Capricornia, Central West, Darling Downs, Fraser Burnett and South West regions.
"During my time working with Energex doing meter reading, I've had plenty of close calls with dog bites," Mr Davidson said.
"We've had a few deaths on the job during my time but those were not involving dogs — they were involved in car accidents or snake bites.
"But to actually hear of a man who is literally my own age to be killed by dogs, I was stunned."
He said he considered quitting several times because of the risk of dog attacks and that it took a toll on him.
"The job changed me, dealing with the people, dealing with the animals and the environmental temperatures changed my personality and my persona."
'A dog ... ripped my arm open'
One dog attack occurred shortly after he finished reading a meter at a house.
"As I was leaving, the owners released the dog and the dog had just ran up to behind me and bit me in the knee and put his tooth in the back of my leg. That was one incident.
"The second one was [as] I entered a property with Maltese terriers and they bit me up and down the calf.
"The most serious incident was when a dog pushed his head right through a fence and ripped my arm open."
Mr Davidson described himself as a dog person, saying he came from a family who owned multiple dogs.
But he said his attitude changed after his time as a meter reader.
"I thought I had a handle on animals and dogs, but after these incidents and working with them I developed a cynical mistrust of animals, especially any that are not my own."
He said dog and snake attacks were something meter readers talked about regularly when he got together with colleagues.
Dog protection training provided
Mr Davidson said while he was on the job, new guidelines were introduced to make it safer.
"If we could not confirm that the dogs were secured via being in an enclosure or being on a leash that was restrained on like a tree or something, by a chain or a sturdy rope, we were not to enter regardless of size or breed of animal."
He said he stuck to that rule whenever possible.
"But the problem with sticking to it is then you encounter the wrath of the customer because they say, 'Oh, no, my dog is not dangerous, my dog is safe, I have my dog in my hand'.
"And so then you either have to spend 10 minutes arguing with the customer or you just go, 'Alright, fair enough'.
Mr Davidson said their trainer had a background in military and security.
"Then we were actually shown how to deal with a dog or what type of body language to display if we ever get into a situation involving dogs.
"Wearing a dog-attack coat — he showed us the correct way to deal with a dog if the dog is on its way to attack us."
