Skip to main content

Hunting Dogs Shoot Owners, Get Revenge for Deer, Ducks

By Stephanie Rabiner, Esq. on December 12, 2011 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Gone are the days of man's best friend. These are the days of dog shoots owner. Indeed, Fido's gone crazy.

Or at least Eli the bulldog has. Things turned ugly over the weekend when the once-friendly pup headed out with owner Billy E. Brown as his longtime deer-hunting companion. The trio was happily riding in the front seat along with Brown's loaded shotgun when they came upon a bumpy road.

Eli took it as an opportunity to strike. He "knocked" the shotgun, shooting his owner in the thigh.

This would ordinarily be ruled an accident, but it appears as though something more nefarious is at work. Eli is not the only dog to shoot his owner.

Just a few weeks ago, a duck hunter in Utah was shot by his dog. That man sat his gun across the bow of his boat as he moved decoys. His dog suddenly got "excited" and "jumped" on the gun. It went off, shooting 27 pellets of birdshot into his behind.

Coincidence? I think not.

Unfortunately, there's not much that can be done about these gun-wielding dogs. The law only punishes dogs that are deemed to be "dangerous." A dangerous dog is one that has attacked, or tried to attack, another animal or human being without provocation.

Eli and friend are lucky that they lack an opposable thumb, as humans are more likely to believe that the shootings were accidental. If the dog can't grip the gun, the dog can't shoot the gun. And if the dog can't shoot the gun, the gun-wielding dog isn't legally dangerous.

If this argument fails, a hunting dog that shoots his owner still has the option of claiming he was acting in the defense of others. Someone had to save Bambi, right?

Related Resources:

Copied to clipboard