By ROOP RAJ
MyFox Detroit Reporter
STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. (MyFox Detroit) -- Cassie Mileski's best friend, her dog Izzy, only four years old, was killed after getting shocked by a live wire in the backyard of a Sterling Heights home on Strom Street a little after 10:00 a.m. Monday.
"I want to make sure that I remember her and tell everybody how amazing she was and how she was a very important part of my life," she said.
Hours earlier, neighbors took video of the initial sparking from the downed line. They called 911.
6:30 a.m., Sterling Heights Fire showed up. DTE Energy followed behind. The smoke went away, but the danger did not. All this happened while Mileski was sleeping, then the regular morning wake-up routine began.
"Let her outside, filled up her dog bowls, and then I looked outside the kitchen window and I thought she was having a seizure because I couldn't see anything, and so I ran outside and saw that she was on top of an active power line pretty violently shaking."
Mileski ran outside and tried to save her dog, but it was too late.
"It's hard just watching that because they look helpless and you want to help, but I was getting shocked myself. I could only do so much, and there was just nothing I could do after a point. Those images aren't going to leave me."
Mileski is wondering why DTE didn't leave a note, knock on the door or do something to let her know that there was a problem outside. She also wonders why the power wasn't cut off sooner.
DTE officials told us this is an unfortunate situation where Izzy went out in between the time their crews came to assess the situation in the morning and when they returned to kill the live wire. The company is extending sympathy to Mileski.
"I wish I would've known, have been warned. I would've never, obviously, let my dog outside with a live wire. I keep replaying different things I could've done in my head to try and prevent it, but I don't think there was anything I could've done differently."
"Nothing was marked in my backyard, so there was no way for me to tell anything was going on."
We called officials in the Sterling Heights Fire Department to ask them exactly what happened between DTE and them on that morning. They said at this point the investigation is just underway and they will let us know when it's completed.
