From The Villager
Another dog-shock incident - this time at Washington Sq.
By: Jessica McRorie
January 24, 2001
At least one dog was shocked in Washington Sq. Park on Jan. 4, near the park's west entrance on Waverley Pl. An underground short caused a low-level electric charge in a 20-ft. area of the park, including metal railings and a metal lamp post, said Bill Tai, the park's administrator. The power in that area was shut off that night after a dog owner reported that their dog was "pulling its feet off ground," when it felt the shock said Tai. He said Tannor Electric, the company that is investigating the shortage, said that underground electrical shortages are a "fairly commonplace occurrence in the city." Tai said the problem is still under investigation and may require some digging through the asphalt to solve. To his knowledge, he said, there is no previous history of dogs being shocked in the park.
It's the second reported dog zapping in the Village this month. On Jan. 8 a dog was killed after coming into contact with a live electrical line protruding from an open panel at the base of a lamppost near Sheridan Sq. Brenda Perez of Con Edison said that the dog's death probably had something to do with a low voltage current created by the salt and water mixture at the base of the light.
The salt put down for snow and ice, which is also corroding the thick insulation and electrical wires located in manholes, is doing the same under some areas under the asphalt and sidewalks. Perez said that the vast majority of shocks received by dogs are "low-level electrical charges" that will not result in injury or death.
The salt makes the moisture on the ground more conductive and makes it easier for dogs to get a shock.
A Washington Square Animal Hospital receptionist said two dog owners had recently come into the practice and mentioned that their dogs had been victims of shocking. She said that one woman and her bulldog were shocked in the East Village sometime around Christmas.
Tracy Sides, chairperson of the West Village Dog Owner's Group, said dog walkers should avoid large pools of water around street lamps that have open bases or open door covers, detour around areas of construction and not allow dogs to pee on metal lampposts or fences.
©The Villager 2003
