Exposed Wiring Shocks Dog in Park

Same dog shocked in park about a month earlier

A 107-pound Italian mastiff was shocked by exposed wiring at the base of a light pole in a Hoboken park, and according to its owner, it was not the first time.

Teddy Bear, who is two years old, was being walked inside Church Square Park on Thursday when he was jolted.

"We were walking by the light pole and he screamed out and completely collapsed," said Teddy Bear's owner, Whitney Bracco.  "He was frozen and could not move.  After a little while, he came to and was shaking."

Bracco said when she looked at the light pole, the door to the electrical wiring was missing.  She brought her dog to the veterinarian right away. He was not seriously hurt.

But Thursday's incident reminded her of a similar one about a month ago.  Bracco said she was walking by the same light pole after a major snowstorm.

"We were walking in the same area and I remember he yelped and collapsed to the ground.  We just thought it was the salt on the ground that bothered him so we just wiped it off and continued on and did not think much of it."

A spokesman from the Hoboken mayor's office said the metal doors to the electrical panels are often stolen. The city uses tape to cover the wires because it takes so long to order those parts.

Officials are considering custom ordering new doors that can be padlocked and less easy to remove. 

But until a permanent fix is made, Teddy Bear's owners think the city can do a better job alerting residents of this problem.

"It's been over 24 hours since I reported this incident," said Bracco.  "And there isn't even some yellow caution tape to let others know."

The city said officials are checking other light poles across the city to prevent this from happening again. 

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