(Above) A small dog walks along the Chicago Riverwalk.

By Steven Dahlman

Apr. 24, 2025 – Following incidents of pets being electrocuted on sidewalks in River North, an ordinance has been introduced aimed at alerting the public faster to such electrical hazards.

Sponsored by 42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly and 2nd Ward Alderman Brian Hopkins, the ordinance was introduced at the April 16 meeting of the Chicago City Council’s Committee on Transportation and Public Way.

It would require anyone performing work on a public sidewalk or other public way to immediately notify the Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) of any dangerous or potentially dangerous electrical hazard.

The ordinance would apply to city employees as well as employees of privately-owned utilities.

OEMC would then alert the Chicago Police Department, Chicago Fire Department, Chicago Department of Transportation, and owners, property managers, or landlords of buildings within 660 feet of the hazard. Those people would have 12 hours to notify their tenants.

Reilly says the ordinance was spurred by incidents in River North in which two dogs were electrocuted while walking over a manhole cover. The incidents happened on February 15 in the northeast corner of Dearborn & Ontario Streets.

At about 11:45 a.m., a woman was walking a dog when the animal stepped on a manhole cover on the sidewalk and received an electrical shock. That dog was not seriously injured. However, at 1:35 p.m., a dog was killed by an electrical shock on the same manhole cover.

A pinched, exposed wire caused the manhole cover and a light pole to become electrified, according to Reilly. He said that the Chicago Department of Transportation repaired the issue within an hour.

(Left) A Nextdoor member, Kristin A., captured this image at Dearborn & Ontario on February 15 after a large dog was electrocuted while walking on the sidewalk in front of the Northwestern Medicine Immediate Care.

As many as 20 dogs may have encountered an electrified metal plate outside Wolf Point East, a luxury apartment building, between December and February. Hines, the property manager, resolved the problem on March 4, according to published reports.

CDOT has recommended pet owners take extra precautions, including footwear for dogs, being cautious around manholes, and not allowing dogs to urinate on light poles.

“Stray voltage, while rare, can pose a hidden and unpredictable danger,” read a CDOT statement shortly after the February incidents. “Because it’s invisible and difficult to detect, for pet safety, owners should prevent their animals from directly touching metal objects such as light poles and manhole covers. This is particularly important during winter when snow melts and salt can increase the conductivity of these surfaces.”