Local police reports that a dog with ill-fated name shoots owner during hunt in Indiana in a bizarre incident that made many people weigh in the importance of gun safety. A chocolate Labrador retriever which was named ‘Trigger’ by its 25-year-old female owner stepped on a 12-gauge shot gun blasting the woman’s left foot.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources recently said that on Saturday the woman was on a waterfowl hunt with her beloved Labrador in northern Indiana. Witnesses said that the woman placed the shotgun on the ground while she was trying to change position. But in the meantime, her dog stepped on the weapon and depressed the trigger.
As the safety was not on, the weapon went off, shooting the hunter in her left foot. The woman admitted that she had never taken a gun safety course for hunters before. Shortly after the incident she was rushed to the hospital. Doctors said that the injuries were not life threatening. She was affected by several injuries because of the shot pellets piercing through her skin.
According to gun safety rules, a gun should always be pointed in a safe direction, and the safety should be always on. Additionally, Indiana residents born after Dec. 31 1986 must undergo a certified hunter education training before they buy a license for hunting in the state.
But apprentice hunters can buy up to three licenses without being trained if they are escorted by an individual that had completed the course. The woman was an apprentice hunter and does not risk any charges under the state law.
“We encourage everyone to take a hunter education course before they venture out in the field,”
said Jonathon Boyd, an officer at the Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ Law Enforcement Division.
But Boyd recalls that it is not the first time somebody gets shot by their own dog in his 7-year career. A few years ago, a dog shot his owner after the latter leaned his weapon against a tree without the safety on during a rabbit hunt. That time a beagle was involved in the incident.
The Labrador retriever’s owner couldn’t be reached for comment.
Yet, while dogs can accidentally shoot their masters, toddlers can shoot their parents, too. Early this year, a 3-year-old boy shot his dad and pregnant mom in an Albuquerque hotel room.
Police said that the boy found the gun in his mother’s purse without the safety on. He hit his dad’s hip and mother’s right shoulder in a single shot.
Image Source: Wikimedia