Indiana woman shot by dog named Trigger

They say that children's names can often influence what they go on to do in the future and the same is obviously true of dogs. A woman in the US is recovering from a bullet wound after her pet dog Trigger shot her in the foot.

Keen hunter Allie Carter, 25, was at the Tri-County Fish and Wildlife Area, in the northern part of Indiana, hunting waterfowl with her beloved dog when the bizarre accident occurred on Saturday. At one point during the hunt, she placed her trusty 12-gauge shotgun on the ground without first checking whether the safety mechanism was on.

In an unlucky twist of fate, her 11-year-old chocolate Labrador Trigger stepped on the weapon, accidentally pulling his namesake and discharging the shotgun. Carter was hit in the left foot at point-blank range with birdshot pellets, and was brought to hospital for treatment. She has since been released and is recovering at home, the BBC reports.

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State conservation officer Jonathon Boyd, who recounted the story to the press, said that Carter had not taken the recommended hunter education course and took the opportunity to remind other hunters to do so.

Remarkably, NBC reports, it is not the first time Boyd has dealt with a dog-inflicted gunshot wound in his seven years as a conservation officer. On another occasion, he said, a man hunting rabbits was shot by his beagle in a similar fashion after resting his shotgun against a tree. State officials have reiterated the advice that all hunters should ensure that their guns' safety mechanisms are on and the muzzle pointed in a safe direction when not in use.