Family grieves husky found dead in backyard construction hole
By Nick Bohr
Click here for updates on this story
RACINE, Wisconsin (WISN) — A Racine family is mourning the loss of their 14-year-old husky, Lia, who was found dead Saturday in a construction hole dug by electrical utility workers in a wooded corner of their fenced-in backyard.
“My wife calls me from outside, in a panic, saying she’s dead. She’s laying in a hole,” Brandon Wissmar said.
Wissmar said the hole was left uncovered, and he was unaware of its location until Lia was found. He rushed her to the vet, searching for answers.
“Petting her, she’s laying there, I put my head to her, and I said you got to see all the boys grow up, and I’ll take care of mom now,” Wissmar said.
Wissmar expressed concern that the uncovered hole could have posed a danger to his children as well.
In a statement to WISN 12 News, the contractor M.J. Electric said the work was for a new “not-yet-energized utility connection” and added. “We are conducting a thorough review of this incident to understand what occurred and to reinforce safety expectations across our crews.”
Wissmar said lawyers informed him that he has limited legal options because state law considers dogs property.
“I understand that while my dog might not be equivalent to my child, it’s closer to my child than my mailbox, and you’re basically telling me that they’re the same thing and I don’t agree with that,” Wissmar said.
He hopes contractors will improve communication and safety measures to prevent similar incidents.
“There just is no transparency; they’re just telling us we’ll be there at some point to do something. And we don’t know what that is, and in our case, since we didn’t know what that was, we lost our dog because of it,” Wissmar said.
The cause of Lia’s death remains unknown, as the family chose not to pursue a necropsy.
M.J. Electric issued to following statement to WISN 12 News:
“MJ Electric was saddened to learn that a customer’s family pet passed away over the weekend near one of our work sites. Our thoughts remain with the family during this difficult time.
“MJ Electric crews had been performing routine underground utility work at the residence as part of a new, not-yet-energized utility connection. We have reached out directly to the family to express our condolences and offer our support.
“We are conducting a thorough review of this incident to understand what occurred and to reinforce safety expectations across our crews. Safety is a core value at MJ Electric, and that commitment extends to every property and community where we work.”
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.