WASHINGTON – The owner of a beloved dog says her landlord believes a live wire, hidden in concrete killed her dog during a walk outside her apartment complex.
Pam Kelly was walking her dog Lakai, part German Shepard and part Border Collie, on Monday night. They were on the concrete near a swimming pool at the 3003 Van Ness Apartments, on Van Ness Street in Northwest, when the dog was knocked off her feet.
Kelly says the apartment owner, Equity Residential, sent an email to residents explaining “a licensed electrician identified a wire inside the concrete that was the issue.”
“I didn’t know what was going on, I thought my dog had broken her leg, so I didn’t move her,” said Kelly, tearfully. “If I had just picked her up and moved her from the area she might still be alive.”
The phenomenon of stray voltage is not unheard of.
In a 2014 report, NBC News found 40 electrified items, including light poles, manhole covers, and grates — during one evening of testing in D.C.
The incident on Van Ness Street was on private property. Pepco referred questions to the apartment owner. On Wednesday, the apartment complex issued the following statement:
We can confirm that an incident involving a resident’s beloved pet occurred in the courtyard of the community. We would like to extend our condolences to the resident whose dog passed away. We regret that this incident occurred, which was tied to a very unusual electrical issue. Note that there was not an exposed wire. Rather, a licensed electrician identified a wire inside the concrete that was the issue.
Since learning of this unusual incident, we have removed the power supply to the area and are working with our electrician to correct the underlying issue.
“There’s lots of stray voltage going on in the city,” Kelly speculates. “Unfortunately when it rains, or the snow melts, it makes it even worse.”
Kelly says she worries stray voltage can be more devastating to pets than humans.
“For us, we’re all wearing shoes, we’re fine, but our pets are not,” she says.
Kelly and her son say they felt an electrical shock while trying to help Lakai on Monday evening. Other tenants in the building have reported feeling shocks at the same location, and their dogs have reacted in pain during walks.
The area remains cordoned behind police tape, and she says the apartment complex has turned off the power source.
Kelly says she is bringing Lakai for an autopsy on Wednesday to conclusively determine what killed her dog.
Asked if she’s planning on filing a lawsuit, Kelly says she isn’t at liberty to say.
“I’m not going to let this go, I’m not going to let my dog die in vain. I can’t let this happen to anybody else,” Kelly says.
“It’s too quiet in my apartment right now,” she says. “I know life goes on, so maybe what I can do is put all my efforts into trying to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
