Dog Shocked By Stray Voltage During Walk

BOSTON -- A woman who was walking her dog in South Boston said Monday that she was stunned to see her pet leap into the air after getting a powerful shock.

NewsCenter 5's Jack Harper reported that Denise Lettieri was walking her dog, Boe, on Dorchester Street last week.

"I'm just very thankful that he is here. I mean, he may not have, you know, he could have died," she said.

She said that Boe, an 8-year-old Labrador, was shocked by an electric jolt.

"He yelped and jumped up about two feet off the ground, came back down and I realized he had gone over some electricity in the sidewalk," Lettieri said.

She said that her dog was stunned and scared. Boe is OK after he was closely monitored for 36 hours.

"I don't know if it's an isolated case, but it is definitely something that should be addressed," Lettieri said.

In Charlestown in 2006, a dog was killed when it was shocked. Four dogs have been killed by stray voltage in Boston since 2000. NStar has added a stray voltage detection vehicle to help locate trouble spots.

In the meantime, Lettieri and Boe have changed their route.

"It could have been a child. Something is wrong. Something, clearly, is wrong, and it needs to be corrected," she said.

She said that NStar conceded the problem, checked on her dog and immediately agreed to pay all the veterinarian bills.