California hunter shot in the back by his dog

LOS BANOS, Calif. (AP) - One California hunting dog apparently takes the term a bit too literally.

Authorities say a central California hunter was wounded when his own dog accidentally sent a bullet into his back.

The 53-year-old man was treated at Los Banos Memorial Hospital and released after a few hours.

The Merced County Sheriff's Department says the man and a partner had been hunting near Highway 152 in the Los Banos area Saturday. The man set down his shotgun to retrieve some duck decoys and his female Labrador retriever stepped on it, causing the safety to disengage and the gun to fire, sending a shot into the hunter's upper back.

The names of the man and dog have not been released.

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Information from: The Fresno Bee, http://www.fresnobee.com

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.