An unmarked electric fence allegedly electrocuted a dog on the driveway.
Dog owner Toni Phillips claimed her daughter was walking her parents’ bichon frize on a Yeovil trail on February 18 when he was “electrocuted” that made him “cry and shiver”.
Ms. Phillips explained that her daughter often walks both her and her dog, as the Bichon Frize needs more exercise than her grandparents can give him.
She claimed the public footpath her daughter was walking on. The dog runs in a sheep field near North Coker Park.
Ms. Phillips claimed the trail had orange electrical wires on one side but no signage to alert hikers that it was electrified.
She said: “[The dog] sniffed the grass and touched the fence. He just started screaming and shaking. “
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She said her daughter was “beside herself” and called her immediately.
Ms. Phillips said, “I picked you up. We wrapped him in a blanket when he was trembling physically. “
She said she photographed the electric fence to demonstrate the apparent lack of signage.
Ms. Phillips said, “It was nasty for both him and my daughter, who was really traumatized. She kept thinking it was her fault that she hadn’t noticed. But there was no sign anywhere. “
Ms. Phillips’ photos of the electric fence on the right
She claimed she later reported the fence to the Somerset Motorway Authority, fearing children might touch it.
Ms. Phillips said, “My daughter was extremely upset for most of the evening because she thought she should have noticed it was a living fence and kept blaming herself.”
Electrified Fencing Guidelines for Rights of Way, issued by Somerset County Council, state that landowners must clearly identify a fence as being electrified.
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You must post warning signs at appropriate intervals along the length of the fence.
They state that these warnings should generally be 50 to 100 meters away.
A Somerset County Council spokesman confirmed that an area manager is looking into the matter and “will aim to work towards a solution as soon as possible”.
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