Dog shoots hunter in back

A dog shot his owner in the back last week near Las Cruces, N.M., critically injuring him. The mixed-breed pooch got his paw caught in the trigger mechanism. A dog shot his owner in the back last week near Las Cruces, N.M., critically injuring him. The mixed-breed pooch got his paw caught in the trigger mechanism. Photo: Cristian Baitg Schreiweis/Getty Images Photo: Cristian Baitg Schreiweis/Getty Images Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Dog shoots hunter in back 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Charlie the mutt shot his owner in the back last week, but he didn't mean it.

It was an accident. One that could have been avoided.

Sonny "Tex" Gilligan, 74, of Doña Ana County, N.M., nearly died during a jackrabbit hunting trip. A shotgun blast ripped through the front seat of his pickup and tore into his back, shattering his collar bone, cracking several ribs and exploding blood vessels.

"I was very fortunate I could get to my phone," Gilligan told the Las-Cruces Sun News. "The DASO (Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office) first-responders saved my life. If they waited 10 more minutes I would've died. I lost so much blood. I know I actually passed to the other side just before getting to the hospital but they were able to revive me through CPR and bring me back."

Gilligan said he was in the front seat with his two other dogs. Charlie, a Rottweiler mix, had jumped into the back.

Also in the back was Gilligan's shotgun, locked and loaded.

Charlie, who's described by Gilligan's son as "rambunctious," slipped off the backseat and caught his paw on the trigger of the shotgun.

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Gilligan said when the weapon went off, he thought at first he was being shot at from outside the truck.

Emergency medical personnel transported him via helicopter to University Medical Center in El Paso.

After a couple of surgeries, Gilligan was in critical condition but expected to recover fully, the Sun News reported.

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Read Mike Moffitt's latest stories and send him news tips at mmoffitt@sfchronicle.com.

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