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Guide Dogs Shocked by Trains, Reps Say

by Matt Van Hoven

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BY CATEGORY:
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February 6, 2008

PORTLAND, Or. – According to The Associated Press, a number of guide dogs are being affected by mild electric shocks as they wait on wet public train platforms.

TriMet representatives say they have no idea why dogs are getting shocked, but as a result, the highly trained canines’ ability to perform diminishes.

One guide dog owner said she witnessed her dog stumble from a shock as they boarded a train, but that was the most severe physical reaction that’s been reported.

For most dogs, forgetting how to sit and stay is an easy enough remedy to fix. However, training a guide dog costs upwards of $50,000 – a cost that falls on train management. And should a dog need to go back to school for retraining, its owner loses not only a helping hand, but a close friend for that period of time.

About 10 years ago, TriMet experienced a similar situation, where dogs that stepped on the train tracks suffered memory loss after getting lightly zapped.

TriMet representatives say that problem has been fixed by rail capacitors that soak up the extra voltage. Nonetheless, the problem has arisen again. Since Portland is no stranger to rain, resolving the issue should be an immediate need for the city.

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Lisa
Lisa (mydogsowner)
1 year ago
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This needs to be fixed soon! Poor doggies.
 
Pat A.
Pat A. (patscats)
1 year ago
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Time for Trimet to step up and fix this problem....guide dogs are needed for there owners to get around....
 
Katie D.
Katie D. (tundrakatiebean)
1 year ago
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I used to live in Portland and I have complete confidence that the problem will be fixed. I hope that they can fix it soon!
 
jane
jane (disenchantedred)
1 year ago
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awwwwww the poor loves... I hope they find a solution


 
thebillpayer
thebillpayer
1 year ago
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What a strange thing to happen. I hope they figure the problem out quickly and implement a solution.
 
Valerie M.
Valerie M. (CKK)
1 year ago
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They need to take this seriously
 
Susan P.
Susan P. (smz911)
1 year ago
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I hope they rectify the situation.
 
kathleen r.
kathleen r. (kathr91092)
1 year ago
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that's not right.
 
Carina M.
Carina M. (ckarina46)
1 year ago
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That is so weird. Why do dogs get shocked and not people?
 
boblolly
boblolly
1 year ago
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Poor dogs! They are just trying to do their job. I hope Oregon fixes this problem immediately.
 
THIS NEEDS 2 BE FIXED!!!!!
 
Laurel C.
Laurel C. (Imissbailey)
1 year ago
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That problems needs to remedied immediately!!
 
Laura D.
Laura D. (Djitomate)
1 year ago
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Horrible. I hope they remedy this ASAP!
 
Betty l.
Betty l. (BettyL2)
1 year ago
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With the high cost of training guide dogs, I hope the train company comes up with a solution to the shock problem quickly. How awful that these wonderful dogs should have to experience getting shocked while just trying to do the job they were trained for.
 
Melissa C.
Melissa C. (sooty0703)
1 year ago
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Why can't people regulate things?
 
sandeecbell
sandeecbell
1 year ago
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If the dogs feel the effects of electrical pulses, then humans are being affected too. Small children would be at as much risk as the dogs.
 
Tom R.
Tom R. (MadRave)
1 year ago
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Tri-Met needs to get on this problem.
 
Debbie G.
Debbie G. (DebbieGodava)
1 year ago
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This really needs to be investigated. These dogs can't continue to suffer with this shock. Maybe the capacitors need to be adjusted to soak up more voltage.
 
Debbie C.
Debbie C. (bandit8471)
1 year ago
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I hope they can get this fixed. Guide dogs are such a life saver for many who need them.
 
Amy K.
Amy K. (baatkmom4)
1 year ago
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I hope this situation get fixed very soon.
 
Greg K.
Greg K. (gaknott)
1 year ago
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Shouldn't they be able to solve this by changing the surface on the platform? Maybe even part of the platform would suffice.
 
Tina V.
Tina V. (Kawalla)
1 year ago
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How sad. Hopefully they find out whats going on!
 
Michelle M.
Michelle M. (mmick)
1 year ago
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That's weird
 
kbfmama3
kbfmama3
1 year ago
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Is this only happening in Portland? What about Seattle, New York, and other cities with such mass transit?
 
Jeanne H.
Jeanne H. (JHind)
1 year ago
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It does seem that this problem could be elsewhere. I know in NY they've have people (and dogs) shocked when walking on manhold covers. I hope the Portland story gets other cities paying attention.
 
Kip B.
Kip B. (Kp66)
1 year ago
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This is terrible
 
jamie c.
jamie c. (jamieee)
1 year ago
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this should have never happened.
 
Kaitlyn
Kaitlyn (WickedFan)
1 year ago
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i hope they fix this. dogs have been a great help and they need to be helped
 
Sue R.
Sue R. (suerob)
1 year ago
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Oh my! I hope they fix this quickly. Poor dogs, poor owners!
 
wilsontdk
wilsontdk
1 year ago
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I hate that! What can be done?
 
Adaira R.
Adaira R. (auntadaira)
1 year ago
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Oh my! These boy dogs. I hope this visit gets fixed and fast. These dogs are so smart and do such a good job. I would hate to see a dog's career cut short.
 
christhewilsonzoo
christhewilsonzoo
1 year ago
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I'm sorry, but if it affects dogs, how many people might it be affecting without their knowledge?
 
theresa s.
theresa s. (mrsmack)
1 year ago
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i hope they are investigating this many people rely on their guide dogs and a slight shock can lead to accidents
 
sunnyranch
sunnyranch
1 year ago
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A solution needs to be found for this. Even something as simple as rubber mats??? Something needs to be done.
 
CocoBeans
CocoBeans
1 year ago
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Aw, poor doggies!!
 
saran814
saran814
1 year ago
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I hope they're able to sort it out. A real problem for those people dependent of thier guides and it must be really horrible for the animal to just keep getting randomly shocked. I wonder how they figured out this was happening. Presumably the shock is so mild that people (esp wearing shoes) can't feel it.
 
Cornbread
Cornbread
1 year ago
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I am sure it is scary and troubling for the dogs, they do not understand what is going on, I hope this is remedied quickly.
 
scculton
scculton
1 year ago
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no reason for this
 
Char s.
Char s. (onesadpanda)
1 year ago
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maybe some rubber mats would help, whatever the case I hope it gets fixed soon!
 
April R.
April R. (Pixiestixx)
1 year ago
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These dogs are an important part of life for some people. And these electric shocks should have been taken care of from the beginning!
 
Karen H.
Karen H. (Karen1957)
1 year ago
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Should have never happened
 
Elineen
Elineen
1 year ago
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Scary.
 
nancy2cats
nancy2cats
1 year ago
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This MUST be fixed in a hurry. These precious animals help people every day - they can't be hurt through negligence.
 
Jennifer S.
Jennifer S. (quirrel)
1 year ago
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This is just terrible. I hope they get this fix very soon.I
 
Jane M.
Jane M. (darby8251)
1 year ago
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I wonder if the electric fence restraints affect dogs the same way.
 
denisa t.
denisa t. (denisa)
1 year ago
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Tis is just terrible!!! I hope someone remedies the situation.
 
Janet V.
Janet V. (janeyv)
1 year ago
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Hope a solution to this shocking is soon.
 
Renee
Renee (kingshounds)
1 year ago
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Is this a normal phenomenon for this type of train service? I feel sorry for the dogs who have endured the shock and sorry for the owners who have to have their service dogs retrained.
 
Lisa C.
Lisa C. (LisaDC)
1 year ago
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This is crazy. Figure out what's causing this!
 
samanthaescue
samanthaescue
1 year ago
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Very strange. I hope they find out what really is happening.
 
JeriB
JeriB
1 year ago
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Very strange - hopefully a solution to this issue is figured out soon!
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