Dog electrocuted to death by downed power line in Ypsilanti

May 22, 2024

A dog died in an Ypsilanti neighborhood after it came into contact with a downed power line Sunday, Aug. 27. In this image provided by a neighbor, Eric Beaty, DTE Energy crews work to address the downed power line hours after the dog's death.

YPSILANTI, MI — A dog died after coming in contact with a live, downed power line in the backyard of an Ypsilanti home Sunday, Aug. 27, officials confirmed.

Ypsilanti Fire Department Captain Jameson Schultz said the department responded to the scene at the 400 block of North Mansfield around 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Schultz assumes the power line was knocked down during the Thursday, Aug. 24, storm. He said the downed power line was marked with cautionary tape, but the problem had not been addressed any further.

Schultz believes the dog was a golden retriever. He said the dog was let out into the backyard by a family member and ran past the caution tape into the downed line where it was then electrocuted.

“The most important thing is to assume all wires are charged and to stay away,” he said “There’s only so much we can do to caution (people) ...”

Schultz said Ypsilanti firefighters realized there was nothing they could do besides send another notification for DTE to come and address the situation.

“We also checked the surrounding … yards going the other direction to make sure that everything was still taped and marked off,” Schultz said. “We checked to make sure that wherever the wire was down on the ground that it was ... as secure as we could possibly make it.”

Eric Beaty, a resident two houses down from the home on North Mansfield near West Cross, said his neighbor’s mother was watching the family’s golden retriever while they were on vacation and the dog went into the backyard.

“He got out and (the dogsitter) couldn’t catch him,” Beaty said.

Sometime shortly after that escape, Beaty heard the dogsitter scream when she realized the dog was electrocuted, he said, adding the dog was retrieved and wrapped in a blanket following its death.

David Akerly, a spokesman for DTE Energy, said crews were dispatched Sunday evening to resolve the downed power line. He said, as of Sunday evening, he was unaware of the details surrounding the dog’s death.

“We ask anyone to remain 25 feet (the length of a school bus) away and to keep children and pets well clear,” Akerly said in a statement.

A notice on DTE’s Outage Center webpage on Sunday warned consumers to stay clear of downed wires.

“Remember to stay at least 25 feet away from downed power lines or anything in contact with them,” the notice reads. “Assume any wire you see is live and dangerous. Please be safe.”

A family's dog died in the backyard of its home after the pet came into contact with a downed power line Sunday, Aug. 27. The power line was downed since a Thursday, Aug. 24, storm in the region. The photo, showing cautionary tape marking where the power line was down, was provided by a neighbor, Eric Beaty.