After two dogs appeared to be fatally electrocuted while walking in Northwest D.C., Pepco said in a statement on Friday its investigation found there was “a fault in a degraded secondary cable.”

In early January, The Humane Rescue Alliance told News4 it received calls about two dogs dying after being apparently electrocuted at the same spot in front of 1140 19th St. NW, a few blocks south of Dupont Circle.

The first dog, King, suddenly collapsed while on a walk in the area. King’s owner, Neko Williams, told News4 he could feel mild electrical shocks coming from the ground. A stray dog was later found dead in the same spot, according to the Humane Rescue Alliance.

“After thoroughly investigating the area, Pepco identified the presence of voltage and promptly made the necessary repairs to ensure safety,” the energy company said. “Our thoughts remain with the pet owners affected by this situation.”

While a degraded cable alone would not lead to the electrocutions, certain conditions created “a highly conductive environment,” Pepco said, citing melting snow, de-icing salt and debris in a manhole.

“This condition resulted in the sidewalk and nearby objects becoming energized,” Pepco said.

Pepco added that contact voltage is rare, but contact voltage and stray voltage can still be transmitted through metal objects including grates, traffic signals, streetlights and manhole covers when there are “faulty conditions.”

“Pepco inspects manholes and other infrastructure regularly for stray and contact voltage,” the energy company said. “Inspections are conducted by a third-party contractor and as part of their entry procedure they test the cover and/or grate for voltage. If voltage is ever identified on a Pepco manhole cover, it is prioritized for immediate resolution.”

Pepco said that because of the incident, they worked with Osmose — a company that specializes in detecting stray and contact voltage — to do a 131 linear mile voltage detection sweep of Downtown D.C., which showed no contact or stray voltage.

“Pepco will continue to proactively review and enhance its response procedures to prevent voltage incidents,” the energy company said. “We are updating our reporting systems and training programs to continue to build on established practices for inspecting, detecting, and addressing stray and contact voltage issues.”

On Friday, just minutes after passing a continuing resolution that would fund the government for six more months, U.S. senators voted to pass a bill that would reverse a provision to the spending package that would have required more than $1 billion in cuts to D.C.’s budget.

The “District of Columbia Local Funds Act of 2025” was endorsed by Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-M.E.) and Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D), and passed by a voice vote.

Collins said the legislation would correct the situation that arose from the broader package to prevent a government shutdown and assured, “There are no federal dollars involved.”

Van Hollen said the proposed cuts to the D.C. budget would’ve stripped District residents of their ability to make decisions on where their tax money goes.

“The House provision would have saved the federal taxpayers zero money, but what it did was prevent the District of Columbia from spending its own money on services that it thinks are important,” Van Hollen told WTOP in an interview following the vote.

“Without this bill, we would have seen cuts to police, cuts to schools, cuts to firefighters,” he added.

In approving the legislation, the Senate allows D.C. to keep its 2025 budget of $21 billion instead of rolling back $1.1 billion to its 2024 budget. The original government spending package would’ve treated the city of D.C. like a federal agency, returning it to the 2024 budget within the next six months.

In a statement, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser called the passing of the fix plan “a major first step as we continue working with the House of Representatives.”

“DC is proud of our strong financial management, balanced budgets, and strong bond rating,” she wrote. “As we work toward final passage, we will continue to work shoulder to shoulder with the DC Council… to meet our obligations, provide services, and invest in our growth.”

D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, however, noted that it was “disappointing” that the legislation was passed by a narrow vote, making the District “collateral damage in a national, partisan fight.”

“Congress has changed the rules in the middle of the game, so to speak, because twice last fall Congress gave us the go-ahead to spend at FY 2025 levels. This is not responsible governing,” Mendelson added.

In an interview with WTOP, Mendelson added that the council and Mayor Bowser will spend the next 10 days making sure members of the House take up the bill, “they take it up quickly, and, of course, they take it up positively.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer praised the D.C. fix plan, saying, “This legislation will make sure that we take care of the residents of the District… This legislation is very good news for the residents of the District of Columbia, and I am happy we are passing this bill.”

Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) testified before the vote on the bill that “these funds that have been cut are tax dollars that have literally already been paid by D.C. residents. And all this bill does is to continue to ensure that D.C. receives what it is owed.”

The cuts to D.C.’s budget would have greatly impacted public education, public safety and human services, At-Large D.C. Council member Christina Henderson explained to WTOP and in a viral video on X.

In a two-part video series, Henderson did a crash course on how D.C.’s budget functions and how the proposed provision in the government spending package would’ve affected the city.

House lawmakers are on recess but expected to consider it when they return on March 24.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Citing confusion over the proposed $1 billion impact to D.C.’s budget, D.C. At-Large Council member Christina Henderson offered a tutorial on her X account on Thursday.

“Budgets can be complicated,” she wrote. “So to combat confusion, I’d like to introduce ‘The District Budget 101, pt1.’”

Henderson’s social media post got over 24,000 views, and she told WTOP, “I didn’t know it would go as viral as it did.”

She said she was eager to help people understand the D.C. budget process as it relates to federal spending.

As an at-large council member, Henderson represents all D.C. residents, not just one ward of the District. She said she wanted to emphasize any cuts that would have to be made would come in the middle of D.C.’s fiscal year.

“Imagine the Congress asking us to literally cut teachers in the middle of the school year,” Henderson said while writing on a whiteboard.

The bulk of money that would have to be cut would come from three “buckets,” she said.

“Public education — so teachers; public safety — so firefighters, police officers; and then human services,” Henderson said.

Proposed cuts would affect staffing levels, she explained, because the biggest cost driver in those agencies is in personnel. Within human services, Henderson said that would include “those who are helping individuals who might be experiencing homelessness or might be in need of social safety net services.”

The Trump administration has criticized D.C. on how it handles crime, homeless encampments, litter and graffiti — all things that Henderson said would be affected should the District be in the position of having to slash spending in the current budget year.

Henderson spent Friday morning lobbying lawmakers on Capitol Hill, hoping to create a provision in the continuing resolution that would protect D.C. from having to revert to its 2024 spending levels.

By Friday evening, U.S. senators announced they would be passing a bill that would allow D.C. to keep its 2025 budget intact rather than roll back to 2024 levels. The bill reverses the provision in the government spending package that would have required $1 billion in cuts.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the bill “very good news” and urged the House to quickly pass it.

“As I told some offices today, this is not the only time you will see District residents. If this goes forward, we will be here every week until you fix it,” she told federal lawmakers.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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© 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.