Tonteg home's faulty wiring sees dogs get electric shocks

Warning notices were put on a telegraph pole until investigations found it was not the cause of the shocks

A home's faulty internal wiring led to several dogs getting an electric shock as they passed by.

Wire-haired dachshund Charlie is thought to be one of seven dogs to have suffered a shock in Tonteg, Rhondda Cynon Taf.

Owner Martin Pitman said he thought Charlie "was gone" when he was hurt on Saturday.

Western Power Distribution said it had disconnected a nearby house after finding faulty internal wiring.

"The property had no earth wiring or trip switches which had a caused a voltage gradient fault - or current flow - to earth outside the property," a spokeswoman said.

"Our engineers immediately disconnected the supply to the house to make it safe."

Engineers previously put warning signs on a telegraph pole as a "safety precaution", but later found it was not responsible for the shocks.

Mr Pitman said his son was walking Charlie on Saturday afternoon along Church Road in Tonteg, near Pontypridd.

He said his son told him the dog "sniffed something then jumped out into the road, then behind him and then he lay on the floor".

Charlie was taken to the vet after suffering an electric shock when he brushed against the pole

Mr Pitman drove to the scene and said the dog was "lying stiff" on the pavement after a "seizure".

He took Charlie to see a vet, who told him it "made sense" that the dog had suffered an electric shock.

• Scores of dogs rescued at 'dilapidated farm'

• 'I fought off dognappers who threatened to stab me'

Charlie recovered within two hours and is now "back to his normal self".

Mr Pitman said: "I thought he was gone. I phoned my wife and I thought this dog is not going to make it through here, because he was looking really poorly."

"We've since learned that six or seven dogs have been injured from it," he said.

Lyndon Walker, an independent county councillor for Tonteg ward, said he had heard reports of several dogs getting shocked by the pole.