A dog owner on the North Shore is speaking out after her dog was shocked while on a walk, in the hopes she can help prevent the ordeal for others.
Teresa Bouchard and her 5-and-a-half-year-old therapy dog, Benny, were at Park Royal Mall over the weekend, when Benny started to yelp in pain and fell to the ground.
A good Samaritan helped Bouchard get Benny into her vehicle, and they rushed off to the emergency vet.
While Benny is recovering, Bouchard told Global News it was later discovered the dog had been experiencing several electric shocks.
“He immediately screamed, yelped, leapt up and then threw himself on the ground and fell to the ground, thrashing,” recalled Bouchard.
“Making the most blood-curdling sounds — screaming, screeching, barking. I can’t describe it and I didn’t know what was wrong. At first I thought he stepped on glass.”
She’s thankful Benny will be OK, but the experience has left her feeling anxious about going on previously routine outings with her dog.
“(Benny) is a pet therapy dog, so we go to the city to certain events, but I’m going to be so careful. I’m going to be very selective about which ones,” she said.
“But, I am never going to just hang out at a Starbucks like I used to with him.”
Park Royal told Bouchard that a broken ground wire outside of the store may have been the cause, and it has now been repaired.
“I never thought, in a million years, walking down the street and being electrocuted. I never had,” said Bouchard.
“I felt very safe and comfortable. I live in a great place and I feel like the infrastructure is safe. Never in a million years, but now I know, and it’s so common too.”
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