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Saturday, July 31, 2010   73º

02/15/2007 09:16 AM

Second Dog Electrocuted In Lower Manhattan In As Many Days

By: NY1 News

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The combination of the salted side walks, melting snow and electricity has proven to be a dangerous mix after two dogs were reportedly electrocuted in Lower Manhattan in the last two days.

A dog died Wednesday night after stepping on a sewer cover, and another dog may also have been electrocuted while walking on the street this afternoon.

Thursday's incident happened on John Street where witnesses say a dog walker was walking three dogs when at least one of them was shocked after leaning against a piece of scaffolding.

The dog walker was able to revive the dog, a Dachshund, by giving it CPR.

"Somebody that actually works in this building had a suggestion how to bring the dog back by holding its mouth shut and breathing through the nose and pumping on the heart or whatever, and it eventually brought the dog back," said the building doorman.

"It was really very terrifying. I knew it was an animal. I didn't know what was going to happen. Of course, it could happen with a child; it could happen with an adult,” said a witness. “The dog was very lucky that the dog walker was willing to resuscitate the dog.”

A Con Ed spokesperson says the stray voltage was apparently caused by lighting on the scaffolding, which is not related to the utility. The utility says it had the building shut off the lighting.

Wednesday night, Joanne Collaza (pictured above), a professional dog walker, says her Boston Terrier "Boston Rob" was electrocuted on Rector Street after he stepped on a sewer cover.

"I saw the lady crying, and when I looked over she had her dog in the box," said witness Pamela Barnwell. "She commented how the dog stepped on the manhole cover, started to cry, started bleeding, and then he just collapsed and dropped dead. She was devastated."

Crews from both the Department of Environmental Protection, which is in charge of sewer covers, and Con Ed searched the area for stray voltage but did not find any.

New voltage testing requirements were put into place after a woman was electrocuted while walking her dogs in January of 2004.