Reid Mason, says her dog Chili was visiting her apartment while she recovered from surgery.
WASHINGTON D.C., DC — A family says they are heartbroken after their 5-year-old dog was reportedly electrocuted while walking in downtown D.C. Monday afternoon.
Reid Mason says her family had an ongoing joke, that their dog Chili had no home because she would stay with their dad in Virginia, or at any of the siblings’ homes. Mason’s dad brought their dog to her apartment in D.C. while his daughter recovered from surgery.
“Five minutes before they went on a walk, we are quoting just being like, she’s so perfect,” Mason told WUSA9.
On that walk at around 4 p.m. in the 1100 block of 19th Street NW, Mason’s father noticed that Chili was behaving strangely. He initially thought it was a seizure.
“The dog was jumping in the air, and then it would flop down and jump again. This went on several times, and then he flopped down and didn’t move,” said Ben Stearn, who witnessed the entire incident. Stearn says he assumed Chili felt discomfort with the salt on the sidewalk put out for Monday’s snowstorm. When he tried wiping her paws, Stearn said, “I bent down, because I was going to feel for a pulse. I felt a sharp pain in my hand.”
By the third time he felt the sharp pain, Stearn says he realized it was electrical shocks.
Despite all efforts to save Chili, the pup died in an emergency animal hospital.
“Just so sweet and loving, wanting to be around people,” Mason said as she reflected on her beloved pet.
Three hours later, another dog died in the same area after reportedly experiencing a similar situation.
DC Police’s incident report classified the second dog as a stray Boxer, but animal rescuers tell us that the dog had an owner and that they were notified of the ‘unfortunate electrocution incident.’
“People have been saying this is why dogs need rubber boots when they’re walking on the snow. I wish we had that but Chilli is not the dog, like many dogs, that would walk in those,” Mason added.
Like many who live and work in the area, Reid says she wants to know what happened so she can warn others and avoid further tragedies.
“This is just a freak accident, it’s not like anyone directly planned that, but you shouldn’t be worrying about where you walk your dog.”
In a statement, a Pepco spokesperson told WUSA9 that their crews conducted an inspection of the 1100 block of 19th St. NW and have confirmed that there is no stray voltage in the area and that they deemed the area ‘safe.
“Pepco is conducting a thorough investigation of this incident to understand what took place and what may have caused this issue. This investigation will include industry peers and third-party experts. We expect the full investigation to take approximately 60 days.”
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