Allie Carter was hunting for waterfowl at a wildlife park in Indiana in October 2015 when her life was irreversibly changed by a cruel twist of fate.
The 25-year-old was shot in the foot with her own shotgun as her chocolate Labrador retriever, called Trigger, stepped on the firearm and set it off.
Carter survived, but had to be treated at two hospitals for injuries to her foot and toes before she was released.
The story reverberated around the world within hours, becoming one in a shockingly long line of unfortunate mishaps involving guns and man’s ‘best friend’.
In some cases pet owners have lost limbs from careless accidents. In others, owners have been tragically shot dead by their pets.
From hunting mishaps to kitchen nightmares here are some of the unfortunate accidents involving dogs and guns.
Canine kills owner on a hunting trip
A father from Turkey was shot and killed by his dog after his pet stepped on the trigger.
Ozgur Gevrekogulu, 32, was killed at the end of a hunting trip to Turkey’s Samsun province in November 2022.
Mr Gevrekogulu was loading equipment into the boot of his car after when his dog jumped on the back of a friend stepping on the trigger of a shotgun shooting him in the stomach,according to the Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet.
He died from the bullet wound before paramedics could arrive at the scene.
Tragically, he had just become a father two weeks earlier.
At the time of the shooting, Mr Gevrekogulu’s hunting company was taken into custody before they were subsequently released.
Ozgur Gevrekogulu (pictured with a dog), 32, was killed at the end of a hunting trip to Turkey’s Samsun province in November 2022
Tragically, Mr Gevrekogulu had just become a father when he was shot dead
Russian man shot by dog from the back of his car
A Russian man was shot and killed by his dog while trying the pet out of his car in a freak accident.
Sergei Terekhov, 64, had travelled to the remote Russian region Saratov for a hunting trip with his brother in January 2018.
Mr Terekhov was letting his two Estonian hounds out of his car when one dog jumped on him triggering the shotgun that was resting against his knee pointed towards him.
After he was shot in the stomach his brother rushed to drive him to a hospital but Mr Terekohov died on the way there.
Speaking at the time, investigator Alexander Galanin said: ‘A pretty experienced hunter died.
‘He was sober and had a gun licence. Everything was in order. It was an accident.’
Sergei Terekhov, 64, had travelled to the remote Russian region Saratov for a hunting trip with his brother in January 2018 when his dog set off his shotgun
Pit bull shoots owner after jumping on bed
A man in Tennessee was shot by his pet dog after it jumped on the bed to wake him up and accidentally set off his gun.
He had been asleep in bed with his girlfriend and a firearm by their side when the bizarre incident occurred in the earlier hours of the morning of March 10.
After the gun went off, the couple flew into a panic and called for help. When police arrived, the victim said that his girlfriend had left with the weapon.
Emergency services arrived and cleaned his wound before he was transported to a nearby hospital.
Luckily, the man’s injury was non-critical and the bullet only grazed his upper thigh.
The couple refused to share their identities, but the man’s girlfriend spoke with local media about what happened.
‘The dog is a playful dog, and he likes to jump around and stuff like that, and it just went off,’ she said.
She told the outlet that she was asleep when the pit bull jumped on the bed, startling her when the gunshots woke her up.
The woman recalled the shocking moment she heard gunshots and awoke to the pit bull accidentally firing at her boyfriend.
The victim’s dog, Oreo, left the incident unscathed and the couple said they could laugh about it since no one was seriously injured.
The house where a man in Tennessee was shot by his pet dog after it jumped on the bed to wake him up and accidentally set off his gun
Rottweiler-mix leaves man with ‘gaping hole’ in his ribs
A man was left with a ‘gaping hole’ in his ribs after his pet Rottweiler-mix got his paw caught in the trigger of his gun.
Tex Harold Gilligan was driving with his three dogs to the New Mexico desert for a jackrabbit hunting trip in November 2018.
However before Mr Gilligan even reached his destination a shot was fired by his pet pooch Charlie.
Charlie, a 120 pound Rotweiller-mix, was sitting in the front seat when his paw got caught in the trigger of Mr Gilligan’s gun which he accidentally set it off.
Tex Harold Gilligan (pictured) was left with a ‘gaping hole’ in his ribs after his pet Rottweiler-mix got his paw caught in the trigger of his gun
Charlie (pictured) who shot Mr Gilligan leaving with with a punctured lung and three broken ribs
Speaking to ABC News at the time, Mr Gilligan said: ‘It went through my ribs my lung and busted up my collarbone on the right side.’
‘I had a gaping hole, you know, and a lot of blood there too.’
He then called 911 and was airlifted to the hospital shortly afterwards.
Despite being in a critical condition, with a punctured lung and three broken ribs, Mr Gilligan was more concerned about the welfare of his precious pets.
The three dogs were taken to a county shelter following the shooting, but Gilligan asked that his pups be removed from ‘doggy jail’ as soon as possible.
To protect he beloved Charlie, Mr Gilligan at first told the authorities he shot himself by accident before later admitting Charlie was the culprit.
‘[Charlie] did not mean to do it.’
‘He’s a good dog,’ he said.
The three dogs were taken to a county shelter following the shooting, but Gilligan asked that his pups be removed from ‘doggy jail’ as soon as possible
Hunter found dead after pet stood on rifle
Joseph Smith from Wichita was found dead near the remote hamlet of Geuda Springs in January 2023.
Authorities found the 30-year-old in the passenger seat of his truck with his hunting gear and rifle.
In the back of the car, they said, was a dog.
The Sheriff’s office said teams arrived within minutes of a call and started CPR life-saving measures.
But Smith sadly soon succumbed to his injuries.
The sudden death of the plumber in a rural area, population 194, during a weekend hunting trip attracted national headlines.
But it was conclusion police arrived at that shocked most.
Joseph Austin Smith was shot and killed with one round from his own rifle after his dog stepped on the firearm and discharged it, they said.
Joseph Smith (pictured), 32, from Wichita was found near the hamlet of Geuda Springs, 50 miles south of Wichita and home to 194 people just north of the Oklahoma border. Sheriffs believe he died at around 9:40am
The Kansas hunter who was found dead Saturday after he was accidentally killed when a dog stepped on the trigger of his rifle has been identified and remembered as a musician, plumber and family man
Man forgives dog for blasting off his hand
A French man had part of his right hand blown off after his pet dog leapt up at him setting off his firearm.
The victim, known as Rene, was shot while on a deer hunting drip in the Dordogne in September 2012.
Two of the hunting dogs ran off ahead but the third, the youngest, stayed close to his master, Rene told French news magazine Le Point.
He said: ‘He jumped on me to give me a cuddle, I think.
‘As he jumped, he put a paw on the gun.’
He was flown by air ambulance to a hospital in Bordeaux where he had to have the hand amputated.
Despite the grisly outcome of the shooting, Rene does not blame his pet pooch and instead said he was to blame for not applying the safety.
‘It wasn’t the dog’s fault – and he’s adorable!’ he said.
Dogs taking part in a hunt (stock image). A French man had part of his right hand blown off after his pet dog leapt up at him setting off his firearm during a deer hunt
Man shot by his pet after the dog ‘stepped on a rifle’s trigger’
A man in Russia was shot by his dog after the pet ‘stepped on a rifle’s trigger’.
The man, who was not named, was shot by his dog – named Karat – whilst on a hunting trip in Russia’s Perm region in November 2015.
He was taking a break from hunting with three other men when the dog jumped on the rifle on the ground shooting the hunter dead.
The Moscow Times, an independent Russian media organisation, reported that the owner of the rifle could have been charged with causing death by carelessness if it was found the safety rules for handling firearms were violated.
However, the man’s widow said she didn’t want anyone charged and instead appeared to blame the dog who she refused to let back into her home.
It’s not only man’s best friend who have shot their owners
Away from dog-related shoot ups, there have also been instances where other pets and animals have turned the trigger on people.
In 1934 Charles Alfred Broomhead, a 23-year-old from Sydney, was shot in the back by a monkey during a circus performance.
The monkey, known as Tarzan, was performing a trick with a rifle where he shot a balloon.
Instead of popping the balloon, Tarzan shot too wide and hit Mr Broomhead who was outside the ring.
He was rushed to hospital where his gunshot wound was treated.
In another instance, a man’s pet cat shot him after the feline knocked his gun off the kitchen counter causing it to fire.
Joseph Stanton was cooking in his kitchen at his home in Iron county, Utah, in March 2005 when his cart shot him.
Mr Stanton was taking to hospital where he was treated for his gunshot wounds.
