Customers outraged after video shows Santee Cooper employee spraying dogs with pepper spray-like substance

Two Santee Cooper customers are outraged after they said a worker doing a routine meter check sprayed their dogs with something similar to pepper spray.

The only way those homeowners knew what happened was through surveillance video. One of the homeowners is a WMBF News employee and shared that video.

It shows the Santee Cooper employee walking straight to the backyard and immediately spraying the barking dogs with spray.

The dogs can be seen rubbing their faces in the grass.

The WMBF News employee who lives at the residence was home when this happened.

He wants to know why the utility employee didn't knock on the door first and ask him to secure the dogs before spraying them.

A Santee Cooper spokesperson said the employee should not have sprayed the dogs after viewing the video.

"We have called and apologized to the customer directly and plan to educate employees so something like this doesn't happen in the future," said Tracy Vreeland, with Santee Cooper. "While the spray is standard-issue in the industry, our workers should only use it if they feel in danger or harm's way because of an animal."

Vreeland added the spray has a temporary effect and is not harmful to .
{{file|t=pKD1_1551387312}}