2 dogs dead after being electrocuted in Northwest DC

Fox 5 Washington DC ^ | January 7, 2025 | Sylvia Mphofe

[Governor Dinwiddie]

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Two dogs are deceased after being electrocuted in a D.C. neighborhood, according to police.

The Metropolitan Police Department continues to investigate after receiving a report of two dogs being electrocuted in a Northwest, D.C. neighborhood. Police say around 7:33 p.m. on Monday night it was reported that a dog was shocked to death on a sidewalk. Pepco was notified of the incident.

[PallMal]

I remember this very same thing happening in NYC some time ago.

Dog walks over a manhole cover, and zap, gone.

[Sertorius]

https://www.citypetsvets.com/stray-voltage

[PGR88]

I didn’t see an address in NW

[TurkeyLurkey]

My, my, how definitions in dictionaries change...
the definition I gave is from a real dictionary, Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American language, exact and only words, before internet, back in the days from 1942-1964.

[Jamestown1630]

That doesn't mean that 'electrocution' necessarily refers to death by electric shock.

According to Merriam Webster, it also means severe injury by electric shock.

[blackdog]

We bought an Airstream, 1964, that had been renovated. The previous owner did the work and he reversed the hot and neutral-ground. We had used it for two seasons and I remembered feeling a tingle when stepping off the last step out of the camper, but I wrote it off to the impact to the soil.

One evening there was a thunderstorm rolling thru, so I asked my daughter to go close the doors and windows. I found her unconscious on the ground at the steps to the camper after she had not come back.

Wet feet, wet steel steps, and a hand to the door knob completing the circuit, knocked her into last century. It took an hour and a hospital emergency room visit to get her back to relatively ok. Another few days to get over the muscle soreness.

[Jamestown1630]

Merriam Webster is the oldest dictionary published in the US.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merriam-Webster

[mikey_hates_everything]

My dog was zapped sniffing a wet lamp post in the rain in North Myrtle Beach a few months ago. I heard a snapping sound, he jumped and got away from it. Good thing he wasn’t peeing on it. A few days later when everything was dry, no problem. Got to be careful around wet outdoor electric stuff.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

Two dogs reportedly electrocuted on the sidewalk near Dupont Circle.

1100 block of 19th street near Dupont Circle according to WJLA-TV.

[Robert DeLong]

The note went on to say: "Note that there was not an exposed wire. Rather, a licensed electrician identified a wire inside the concrete that was the issue."

Here is what AI had to say when I asked how a wire buried under cement could electrocute a dog:

When a buried wire is covered by cement, it is generally considered to be a safe and secure way to protect the wire from damage and reduce the risk of electrocution. However, if a dog were to come into contact with a buried wire that is covered by cement, electrocution is still possible under certain circumstances.

Insufficient Cover: If the cement cover is not thick enough, it may not provide adequate protection against electrical shock. According to some guidelines, the concrete envelope around buried wiring must be at least two inches thick to be considered safe.

Damaged Wire or Conduit: If the wire or conduit is damaged, either during installation or due to environmental factors, it can create a pathway for electricity to escape, potentially harming a dog that comes into contact with it.

Poor Installation: If the buried wire is not installed correctly, it can increase the risk of electrocution. For example, if the wire is not properly sleeved or if the conduit is not correctly sealed, it can allow electricity to escape.

Type of Wire: The type of wire used can also play a role in the risk of electrocution. For example, Type UF cable normally requires 24 inches of cover, but if it’s sleeved with RMC, it only needs six inches of cover. If the wire is not properly rated for direct burial, it can increase the risk of electrocution.

It’s worth noting that electrocution from a buried wire covered by cement is relatively rare, and most cases of electrocution involve other factors, such as damaged wires or poor installation. However, it’s still important to take precautions when working with electrical wires and to ensure that they are installed and maintained properly to minimize the risk of electrocution.

Thanks for the additional information, the snow, or rather the ice did play a role in the electrocution, because that froze the dog due to the electricity running through the dog for too long. But it wasn't a downed wire, buried under snow.

It never occurred to me that a buried wire could do that.

You never stop learning. Thanks again for providing additional information. 🙂👍

[Ponyexpress9790]

We had a camper that would shock me when I was underneath fixing water pipes, I was sweating and touched the frame with my arm. I took a pair of jumper cables and a 3 ft piece of rebar and clamped it to the frame and the rod which was about 2 ft in the ground, never had another problem. Also I deliver the mail, one box was just below their porch light on a trailer. When it rained I would get a buzz when I put the mail in the metal box.

[Jamestown1630]

Sorry about your dog, and I hope this isn't insensitive; but this thread can't help but remind me of what Will Rogers is purported to have said:

“There are three kinds of men. The ones that learn by readin’. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.”

[Robert DeLong]

That sentence where it used the word shocked, also said to death. It shocked the dogs to death. Thus, the article clearly stated that the shock resulted in death. They also used the word executed.

I have need shocked by an electrical outlet, when my finger accidentally was touching the plug prong. It literally threw me across the room. Had I bee in a puddle of water it would have killed me, because I would have been grounded causing the electricity to continuously flow through me with no ability to break free of the current surging through me. Just like the dog became immobilized with the ice underneath its paws.

[mikey_hates_everything]

No problem. If he had gotten zapped peeing, I don’t know what I’d have to deal with now due to that trauma.

[FLT-bird]

The rubber soles of their shoes maybe?

[Jamestown1630]

Well, Language goes all over the place.

The word ‘electrocute’ sounds sort of ‘scientifical’; but it is itself is a completely made-up word - and proof that language is always evolving.

[Chickensoup]

Cloth leashes

[Jamestown1630]

I think the poster who said ‘rubber soles’ was probably right, if the dogs were killed by stepping on conducted electrical current. Without insulation, the people may have been shocked no matter what kind of leash they used.

[Robert DeLong]

I noticed I used the word executed, instead of electrocuted, but electrocuted was coined in 1889 in the United States, just before the first use of the electric chair in 1890. It was initially used to describe electrical execution and not accidental deaths due to electric shock. However, since no English word was available for non-judicial deaths due to electric shock, the term “electrocution” eventually came to describe all circumstances of electrical death from new commercial electricity.

The word ‘electrocute’ sounds sort of ‘scientifical’; but it is itself is a completely made-up word - and proof that language is always evolving.

I think that may be true of all languages, however, I do believe the English language most likely evolves far more often than do other languages, in the quest to find that perfect word that distinguishes circumstances and/or types as well. Then there are slang words that arise as well.

So, yeah there is no arguing that our language is constantly evolving, that confuse even English only speaking people. I pity those who struggle to learn English as a new language. Especially when a word is used for totally different meaning, such as gay. 🤣

[Jamestown1630]

LOL!

I’ve always felt bad for ESOL learners of English, too. English is difficult.

But I believe it is the most expressive and beautiful written language (though maybe not in terms of how the spoken language sounds - I’m partial to Italian, in that respect...)