A puppy accidentally caused a loaded gun to fire the bullet that hit her, a woman has claimed.

Tina Springer said the yellow Labrador was bouncing around the back seat of the car where the handgun was stored by driver Brent Parks, a 79-year-old cancer patient who she cares for.

As they stopped to wait for a train in the their hometown of Enid, Arizona, the gun went off and the 44-year-old was struck by a bullet.

Foul play was not suspected, a spokesperson for the community's police department told The Independent.

The suspected culprit was not impounded and a police report concluded that cloth from the car’s seat covers could have also caused the gun to discharge.

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A recording of Mr Parks' phone call to the emergency services obtained by the Enid News & Eagle newspaper, Mr Parks sounded calm, if a little annoyed as he tells a dispatcher that his no one fired the shot.

Mr Parks used his belt as a tourniquet to stop Ms Springer’s bleeding while they waited for police to arrive.

She was then transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. Officials did not provide an update about her status.