"Stray voltage" claims another NY dog
The electric company calls it "stray voltage," and it's suspected in the deaths of at least four dogs in the past few years in New York.
In the latest case, Celia Sing, of Long Island City, says she was taking her 7-year-old Siberian husky, Sebastian, for a walk on Sunday when he stopped at a light pole.
Sing says her dog suddenly fell, shook uncontrollably and died.
Because of the holiday weekend, Sing said she was unable to get answers from the Department of Transportation. The light pole was replaced on Monday. A department spokesman said the area has been made safe, but the cause of the stray voltage has not yet been determined.
In June of 2007, a New York Post reporter's dog fell victim to an electrified light pole. She was walking Mushy, a 100-pound Mastiff in Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem. "He stepped near the lamppost, and suddenly, he started staggering toward me. Right away I thought: "Oh, my God, he's being electrocuted!" she wrote.
In the past, according to the website Gothamist, a Boston Terrier, a chow-chow and a human being have all met a similar fate. You can see its posts on the previous incidents here, here, here and here.
To see a local ABC affiliate's report on the latest incident, click here.
Comments
Dear Mr. Woestendiek,
Many thanks for your excellent reportage.
Please advise Mutts' readers that a lamppost can leak voltage whether open or closed, illuminated or not, if the light's photo cell is damaged. AND YOU HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING BY LOOKING AT IT! The best defense against the hidden hazard of stray voltage is vigilance and avoidance.
I would prevail on all dogwalkers to elude outdoor electrical equipment (ie, manholes, service boxes, phone boothes, firecall boxes, motorized delivery door, and decorative lighting) whenever possible. Walking a dog into a lamppost is, in effect,playing canine Russian Roulette. Additionally, iSHOCK fully anticipates more summer than winter incidents in the years ahead but the risk is year-round. Dogwalkers should also be aware that open summer shoes will not shield them. And in winter, dog booties will conversely aggravate the chance of conduction. For more detailed protective guidelines and hotspot mapping, please see infraSHOCK.com. It is my firm hope in creating this timely and useful nonpartisan tool to reduce the possibility of injury and fatality from voltage leakage.
Thank you in advance and I look forward to hearing from you.
In appreciation and with best regards,
Blair Sorrel
www.infraSHOCK.com
Posted by: Blair Sorrel | June 20, 2008 3:36 PM