“I’m sorry, officer, what did you ask? Oh, that poop? That’s … um … from the dog! Yes, that’s it! It was the dog who pooped himself.”
I imagine it must have been very scary for Zuk not understanding what was going on. I was thinking about those dogs that died in Toronto, too, and what an awful way to lose a dog that would be. I worry about it when I walk my dogs, and avoid sidewalk grates, but never thought climbing over a snowbank could be dangerous. Glad both you and your dog are okay.
I don’t live in an area that snows, how does this happen? Is it the snow on the ground, coupled with whatever ice and wetness on the poles touching the wires that sends the current from the wire to the ground?
A downed wire for which the breaker hasn’t popped. It’s applying full line voltage to the spot on the ground where it’s making contact; With zero voltage at points far away on the ground, you get a voltage gradient at points in between. So then when you step with one leg near the downed wire, and your other leg farther way, there’s a voltage difference between your two feet, and it will make electrical current flow up one of your legs and down the other. Same deal for the dog. This is how a lightning strike can killl you even if it doesn’t directly hit you: megavoltage at the strike point, zero voltage far away, and you end up developing a large potential between your two feet (unless your feet are very close together, or you happen to be facing directly toward or away from the strike, i.e. both feet equidistant from the strike point).
This is why lightning safety articles advise that if a strike is imminent (i.e. your hair is standing on end), you should squat (to make a direct hit less likely) and keep your feet close together (to minimize the step voltage resulting from an indirect strike) and make your ankles touch each other (so any current due to step voltage will flow across your ankles instead of across your trunk/thorax).
Something similar might have helped the OP: after becoming aware of the shock, put feet close together and touch ankles, then hop to safety. Unfortunately the dog probably can’t be taught to do this; best that can be done is to drag him by the leash, although a wet leash might also cause a large step voltage between dog and owner, since owner is much farther away from source than dog at that point.
Glad you are OK; hope you’ve called this in to the utility. Make them list it as a downed wire if necessary… but they need to address it and fast.
It was addressed last night (mentioned in my 5th post that the cops were monitoring the corner waiting for the utility.) I went back there today and the power line was gone/fixed.
Good to know for next time. 
At least now I can sort of envision what is going on electrically.
I leaned against some metal on a rig and my leg started bouncing up and down uncontrollably, much like when you’re so exhausted your muscles will buckle. Strange feeling, eh? I wasn’t sure what had happened, hopped up on the piece with rubber boots and then reached over with a 48" pipe wrench and touched the superstructure. Then my arm and entire right side started tingling and jerking and bing the light came on as to what was happening. A frayed cable coming from the Cat generators had the whole thing charged. Not good.
Glad your path wasn’t any closer to the downed line.
Whenever I walk my dogs at the high school next door, I have to pass a corner that has a grate, a manhole cover, and the sorriest-looking utility pole with wires sticking out all over, all right next to each other.
No wonder my new dog cowers here. He can feel the d00m.
Superpowers always seem to come from a combination of life forms. Man + spider = Manspider, etc.
You’re going to have to figure out how pooped pants and seizures can help you fight crime. Also, I will pass on visiting your lair.
Friends of mine had 2 big energetic Labs. Went out of town and a friend was babysitting the dogs, the owners advice was don’t try to walk them at the same time. Sure enough the babysitter, all 90 pounds of her tried. Got yanked right off her feet and the dogs took off.
This was on a cattle farm. One of the dogs got his leash tangled on an electric fence. Poor guy had to be put to sleep a few days later. Scrambled his brains some how, motor control was screwed up.
Not trying to freak you or Zuk out, just remembering a sad story.
This story could have had a much worse ending.
Glad you and the pooch are OK.
I was in Las Vegas the day this woman was killed by stray voltage.
Glad you (and the pup) are OK!