A man in Plano, Texas, was shot in the leg by his dog after his paw got stuck on the man's gun.
The police explained the accident in a Facebook post.
The unidentified man's gun had been tucked into his waistband when his dog's paw got caught. The bullet penetrated his thigh after the pistol fired.
In an interview with The Dallas Morning News, Officer David Tilley said "fortunately, it didn't hit the main artery or anything. He took himself to the hospital and he's fine."
The incident led the police to share gun safety guidelines on its Facebook page. It added a short list of common-sense firearm guidelines - like to "always assume" that the pistol is loaded and "keep your finger off the trigger" until the weapon is ready to be fired.
The Facebook post elicited mixed reactions, mostly unforgiving:
"Play with fire, you get burned," Facebook user Christina Mitchell commented.
"Stupidity happens," Tom Ortiz wrote.
A dog in Iowa also shot its owner in the leg in 2018 after accidentally disabling the safety of a gun on the man's waistband, The Independent reported.
A 3-year-old boy died in Porter, Texas, last month after he accidentally shot himself in the chest during his birthday celebration. The boy found a weapon that belonged to a family member.
Last year, Matt Branch of Mississippi was shot by his dog when it jumped on a shotgun, The Guardian reported.
