Got the email.

An attorney could be pricy. Mine doesn't charge me for advice as I already used him when I was being charged with a couple felonies last year- ironically they had never happened (police were a little creative in writing up the report after coming to my house and finding me bleeding and unconscious on the lawn) and the alleged 'victim' testified to that- I HATE HATE HATE violence and it was such a punch in the guts to answer those charges.

He quoted me $2000 for all the stuff leading up to a trial and then more if I had to go to trial, but it was very simple and I only ended up paying $1500. He is very inexpensive by most standards. And as for the outcome... sucking it up and accepting probation... I wasn't thrilled, of course, but I didn't need them investigating me any more.

It was a major sacrifice I had to make to avoid making waves, see? It's a tough game and you have to be tougher. Just part of the game. You really do have to give up certain rights and protections if you have a big skeleton like this in your closet.

That doesn't mean caving to the little gangsta attitude I see so often on the site, that of taking the law into your own hands. I actually had a couple offers to 'deal with' my nemesis the gangsta way... but that's not how I roll.

Growing cannabis without a permit means accepting certain hardships. If you are sincere in your belief that cannabis cultivation is worthwhile as its own reward, you have to ask yourself how much sacrifice you are willing to make to continue doing it.

Most attorneys will give you a first phone call as a freebie just to see if you have a case or not.

This is going to be tough, but if you can find an attorney who deals with growers, you are golden... Mine represents growers and dealers; I found this out AFTER I had hired him, and I have him on retainer for the future and he of course scolds me not to get too big for my britches and grow too many plants for personal use. hahaha glad he's got a sense of humour about it.

In your case I can honestly say that as much as you are justifiably upset over the dog, there's only so much you want to stir the shit, and filing a complaint with the humane society is as far as you can take it without REALLY pissing off the utility... at this point you are so high visibility that the situation pretty much precludes future growing at your location.

The suggestion of a voluntary energy audit is a very sound one. Remember, when you are both breaking the law and asking for help, you just have no choice but to suck that shit up with a STRAW.

If you even suspect a raid, NO HYDRO INDOOR SHIT. NONE. No tomatoes, no peppers, nada. This advice is courtesy of my own attorney: You don't want to be thought CAPABLE of growing so much as a Boston fern in your house if there is suspicion of cultivation.

Hindsight 20/20, but I would have done everything in my power to avoid asking for aid. Shit, my bills are close to $2500 a month and I work my ass off and literally eat black beans and rice all winter to have enough cash to even keep the gas company off my back. Last winter I was working 3 jobs totalling 85 hours a week, at the lab, bartending, and cooking line at a TexMEx place. I'm fully eligible for heating fuel assistance but I will NEVER NEVER ask because they are so likely to audit your energy consumption.

If you rent, it may be time to get the hell outta Dodge. I'll tell ya, I'm playing with fire growing so much as a single prize mother in a comprimised location. I'm prepping my house for sale at the earliest opportunity. I pretty much assume I have to leave the state.

Be tough, be ethical, deal with your problems with restraint. Revenge is an outdated concept from the times of duels...

Just my few cents on the subject.