KINGWOOD, Texas – A family has filed a complaint after watching a CenterPoint Energy contract worker beat and severely injured their dogs in Kingwood. The family released a video Sunday showing the incident on Facebook, which the homeowner later shared with Channel 2 News.
Recommended Videos
The homeowner, Mike Willcox, said a CenterPoint Energy worker entered his backyard unannounced around 9:45 a.m. March 23, and caught the attention of his two Weimaraners. When the dogs — named Flash and Shutter — approached the contractor, the video shows him swinging at the animals with a pipe wrench.
Willcox said the contractor went into the backyard to read the house's meter without informing the family first.
"Honestly, I'm really upset [at] the fact he stepped into our backyard like that and he was swinging to kill my family pets," Willcox said. "It just made me wonder how many other times that guy's done that."
Willcox said he, his wife and their 4-year-old son watched the attack go down from a window about 5 feet away. According to CenterPoint Energy, the worker seen in the video is not an employee with the company but a contract worker.
Willcox said Flash suffered a concussion, a cut below the eye and a lost tooth. According to the family, Shutter must undergo surgery for its injuries.
The family members said they later filed a complaint with CenterPoint Energy.
CenterPoint Energy released a statement Sunday saying," (The company) does not condone or tolerate abuse of animals by our employees or our contractors. We have notified the contract company and they have assured us that they will conduct a full investigation into the incident."
The family said its dogs are "non-aggressive" and have never bitten anyone. The Willcoxes hope viewers will share the link to the video. Willcox said he hopes increased awareness of the situation will encourage the company to change its policy regarding how workers handle pets.