A Toronto woman and her friend are speaking out after her dog was electrocuted while out walking near Nathan Phillips Square last week.
Atif Hasni was walking Irene Gallah’s dog Luna last Friday night on Queen Street West when he said she stepped on a snow-covered metal plate on the ground near a hydro pole.
“My first impression was that she got shocked by something, and then she just jumped up and started panicking and yelping and just acting really bizarrely,” Hasni told CP24 on Wednesday night.
He said he called 911, and the operator told him to call 311.
“At that point, it had been about a minute, and she was already on the ground, and her eyes were open, and her back legs stretched out, and I knew that she had died at that point,” Hasni said.
Following further back-and-forth with 911 and 311, Hasni was told to call Animal Services. He recounted that a bystander informed him that the dog may have been electrocuted, so she called Toronto Hydro.
Crews later arrived, Hasni said, and they opened the manhole. He recalled one Hydro crew member telling him that there were 120 volts coming out of one of the wires on the ground.
“And then I asked him, how could this happen? And then he told me, that’s possible. If there’s a live current, because of the wet conditions, it could electrify the ground. And 120 volts was apparently enough to kill that dog,” Hasni said.
He shared that he had walked Luna since she was a puppy and took the same route hundreds of times, never encountering any issue.
“It was just a surprise to me,” Hasni said.
‘She was my family’
Luna’s owner remembered her as an amazing dog who brought so much joy to her and everyone she met.
“Luna was my world. She was my family, really. She meant everything to me,” Gallah said. “She loved everyone. She was playful. She was just the sweetest dog anyone could ask for, really.”
Gallah expressed concern and anger about the lack of urgent help Hasni got during the incident. Hasni claimed he approached two police officers who were in the area at the time, but they offered no help, only telling him to contact Animal Services.
“I think it’s very concerning. It’s also infuriating,” Gallah said. “I think that would be a cause for concern if there’s a dead dog, to at least ask questions like, why did this dog just die here? And what’s going on? You know, it’s a public safety concern.”
Toronto Hydro responds
In a statement to CP24 on Sunday, Toronto Hydro confirmed that it was aware of the incident and that crews responded to Queen Street West after getting a call about a potential safety concern.
The utility company disputes Hasni’s claim, saying crews tested the equipment in the area and did not find any live voltage or safety issues.
“At this time, there is no indication that Toronto Hydro infrastructure was the source of live voltage at the site. Out of an abundance of caution, crews also carried out additional preventative measures to help ensure the area was safe before leaving,” the statement read.
“We know how heartbreaking and distressing incidents like this can be, particularly for a pet owner, and our thoughts are very much with the dog’s owner.”
Gallah said she did not believe Toronto Hydro’s account. She maintained that there was something faulty that resulted in her dog being electrocuted, which should be fixed so it does not happen again.
“None of that is adding up. I’m not really accepting that as a reasonable response to what’s happened,” she said.
“Not only does not taking accountability add insult to injury, but it also means that this can just keep happening, and that they think this is totally acceptable, which it’s not. If our streets, our sidewalks are dangerous, something needs to be done about it.”
With files from CTV News Toronto’s Jermaine Wilson
