TRAGEDY STRIKES: Beloved Golden Retriever Puppy Killed by Lightning in Shocking Backyard Horror
- A heartbroken family is left reeling after their six-month-old golden retriever puppy, Walter, was killed by a lightning strike in their backyard.
- The devastating incident occurred on Sunday as sudden thunderstorms swept over Gawler, South Australia, leaving the family in shock and grief.
- Walter’s owners, Sarah and James Somerville, are now warning pet owners to keep their animals inside during storms, saying ‘it doesn’t matter whether it’s your child or your pet, they’re still a loved one’.
Sarah Somerville, still reeling from the tragedy, recalled the last moments she spent with Walter, saying ‘I gave Walter a cuddle that morning… Did I think I would be getting a phone call within three hours? Did I think a dog would get struck by lightning? No.’
The family’s world was turned upside down when their daughter, Hannah, called to say she had found Walter with ‘blood coming out of his mouth’ after the storm. James Somerville rushed home to find his daughter ‘in absolute hysterics’, trying to calm her down as she delivered the devastating news: ‘Walter is dead, our puppy had died’.
Despite initial uncertainty, the family suspected a lightning strike had killed Walter, which was later confirmed by a veterinarian and CCTV footage showing the puppy outside during the storm.
James Somerville issued a stark warning to pet owners, saying ‘it doesn’t matter whether it’s your child or your pet, they’re still a loved one… Keep all members of the family — fur or otherwise — inside during lightning storms’.
The family is now left to pick up the pieces and come to terms with the loss of their beloved puppy, a painful reminder of the unpredictable and devastating power of nature.