The odd incident occurred in Wyoming, US, doctors say the injured man should soon make a full recovery

Dec 19, 2014 12:32 GMT  ·  By

Earlier this week, a man living in the US ended up in the hospital after being shot with a rifle. Still, police officers are yet to make an arrest in this case. This is because, by the looks of it, the man was shot by his own dog.

Mind you, the pooch did not grab the rifle and shoot its owner because it was sick and tired of the man's pretending to throw the ball only to hide it behind his back instead. On the contrary, the entire affair was no more and no less than an accident.

How the dog shot its owner

The police officers in charge of investigating the case say that the rather peculiar incident played out in Wyoming this past Monday. The man, identified as 46-year-old Richard L. Fipps, now finds himself in hospital, where doctors are treating his injuries.

It is understood that, on the day of the accidental shooting, the 46-year-old man was minding his own business removing snow chains fitted on his pickup truck. His dog, whose identity has not yet been disclosed, was keeping him company.

At one point, the dog decided to explore the pickup truck's bed, where Richard L. Fipps kept his rifle and other gear. It is believed that the pooch accidentally fired the rifle either by stepping on it or simply by moving it from its place just a wee.

“The rifle was loaded and in the bed of the truck [with some other gear], and the dog hopped up there and either stepped on it or caused something to move and set it off,” said Johnson County Sheriff Steve Kozisek, as cited by Huffington Post.

As explained by police officers, this accident could have easily been prevented, had the man taken the time to switch on the rifle's safety and properly secure the weapon before going about his daily routine.

Word has it that the rifle shot hit the man's left arm. The 46-year-old suffered serious injuries and had to be rushed to a local hospital. Although severe, his wounds are not life-threatening. Thus, doctors say that it is only a matter of time until he makes a full recovery.

Not the first dog to shoot its owner

Admittedly, it's not all that often that we get to read about dog owners being gunned down by their own pooches. Still, such incidents are not as few and far between as many think them to be. In fact, several similar cases have been documented over the years.

For instance, it was in February 2013 that a man in Florida was shot with a 9mm Beretta by his dog while driving around in his Ford 250 pick-up truck. Apparently, the gun was just lying on the car's floor and the pooch managed to fire it simply by kicking it.

Pooch accidentally shoots its owner (5 Images)

Dog accidentally shoots its owner
The pooch is said to have fired the gun stimply by stepping on itThe man had to be rushed to the hospital
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