Knoxville, TN – A dog died on January 6 after stepping into a puddle and being electrocuted outside of a Knoxville Walmart store. As reported by WBIR News, the dog’s owner said the dog yelped and lost consciousness after stepping into the water. The dog’s owner and good Samaritans attempted to resuscitate the dog, but their efforts were unsuccessful.

According to the Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB), the deadly incident was due to an infrastructure failure on “privately-owned lighting powered by a privately-owned breaker.”

Maintenance at the Walmart store worked with KUB to rectify the electrical issue. Walmart’s corporate team said:

“We’re saddened by what’s happened at our Knoxville, Tennessee, facility, and our heart breaks for the family involved. We’re working with authorities as they continue investigating.”

This is not the first tragic electrocution in a public area. In June 2024, a 31-year-old man was electrocuted while attempting to rescue his dog during a thunderstorm. Downed power lines had electrified a metal fence, leading to the electrocution of both the dog and its owner. And in January 2023, a dog was electrocuted after stepping on an electrified metal plate near a light rail station. The plate had become energized due to a fault in the electrical system. The dog’s owner also received a shock but survived.

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