The Fresno Bee tells us that the [unnamed] hunter shot by his [named but not revealed] Labrador when the dog stepped on his gun (disengaging the safety, no less) “broke one of the cardinal rules of hunting safety.” Next time, let Fido stick his head out of the window if he really wants to? Nope. “You never leave a gun loaded when you’re not with it,” asserts Jeff Carroll, chairman of the California Waterfowl Association’s local chapter. “And that’s the end of the discussion.” Apparently not. “While rare, dog-shoots-hunter stories are not unheard of. In November 2008, an Oregon man was shot in the legs and buttocks when his dog jumped into his boat and set off his shotgun. In October 2007, an Iowa man was shot in the leg after setting down his shotgun to hop a fence. His dog stepped on the weapon and tripped the trigger.” Yeah, that’s what the dogs TOLD the hunters to say.
