A German man has been stripped of his firearms license after being shot by the most unlikely of assailants - his very own dog.

Courts in Berlin dismissed an appeal against a ruling that stated a Munich man is unfit to carry a gun after an incident that occurred back in November 2016. The man, who is reported as a passionate hunter, was stripped of his gun license and hunting permit by Bavarian authorities after being shot in the arm, when his dog managed to trigger a loaded gun that was lying in the back of his car.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Getty]]

In the end, the court decided to strip the man of his license "because it must be assumed that he will handle firearms and ammunition carelessly in future as well", and the name of the man, as well as information about the breed of the dog involved, have not been released to the public.

The man can appeal the verdict, but this is far from the first time that a man has been shot by his own dog.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Getty]]

Back in October of last year, New Mexico resident Sonny "Tex" Gilligan was in his pickup truck when the 74-year-old was shot by Charlie, a 120-pound Rottweiler mix who had slipped in the back of the vehicle, getting his paw stuck on the trigger of a shotgun.

"Charlie got his foot in the trigger of the gun and I leaned forward and he slipped off the seat and caught the trigger — and it shot. It was a freak accident but it’s true, that’s what happened... I had a gaping hole, you know, and a lot of blood there too. I could see the blood and I felt it."

According to the Las Cruces Sun-News, Gilligan was shot in the back, breaking his ribs, shattering his collarbone and causing several other serious injuries, with the 74-year-old initially believing that somebody had shot him from outside the car, before belatedly realising that the shooter was his own dog.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Tex Gilligan]]

According to a statement from spokeswoman Kelly Jameson of Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office, the shooting was treated as an accidental one, and that Gilligan had not expressed a desire to press charges against his dog.

"The gun was positioned in the truck with the barrel facing up, towards Mr. Gilligan. Apparently Mr. Gilligan ... had placed his gun in the floorboard of the truck with the butt of the gun on the floorboard. The investigation is being handled as an accidental shooting."

Gilligan maintained a healthy sense of humour about the entire ordeal, adding that he had already forgiven his dog for shooting him in the back. "[Charlie] did not mean to do it," he said. "He's a good dog." Although he may end up losing his gun license over the shooting, let's also hope that the man shot by his dog in Germany can learn to forgive his trigger-happy canine.

A German man has been stripped of his firearms license after being shot by the most unlikely of assailants - his very own dog.

Courts in Berlin dismissed an appeal against a ruling that stated a Munich man is unfit to carry a gun after an incident that occurred back in November 2016. The man, who is reported as a passionate hunter, was stripped of his gun license and hunting permit by Bavarian authorities after being shot in the arm, when his dog managed to trigger a loaded gun that was lying in the back of his car.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Getty]]

In the end, the court decided to strip the man of his license "because it must be assumed that he will handle firearms and ammunition carelessly in future as well", and the name of the man, as well as information about the breed of the dog involved, have not been released to the public.

The man can appeal the verdict, but this is far from the first time that a man has been shot by his own dog.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Getty]]

Back in October of last year, New Mexico resident Sonny "Tex" Gilligan was in his pickup truck when the 74-year-old was shot by Charlie, a 120-pound Rottweiler mix who had slipped in the back of the vehicle, getting his paw stuck on the trigger of a shotgun.

"Charlie got his foot in the trigger of the gun and I leaned forward and he slipped off the seat and caught the trigger — and it shot. It was a freak accident but it’s true, that’s what happened... I had a gaping hole, you know, and a lot of blood there too. I could see the blood and I felt it."

According to the Las Cruces Sun-News, Gilligan was shot in the back, breaking his ribs, shattering his collarbone and causing several other serious injuries, with the 74-year-old initially believing that somebody had shot him from outside the car, before belatedly realising that the shooter was his own dog.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Tex Gilligan]]

According to a statement from spokeswoman Kelly Jameson of Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office, the shooting was treated as an accidental one, and that Gilligan had not expressed a desire to press charges against his dog.

"The gun was positioned in the truck with the barrel facing up, towards Mr. Gilligan. Apparently Mr. Gilligan ... had placed his gun in the floorboard of the truck with the butt of the gun on the floorboard. The investigation is being handled as an accidental shooting."

Gilligan maintained a healthy sense of humour about the entire ordeal, adding that he had already forgiven his dog for shooting him in the back. "[Charlie] did not mean to do it," he said. "He's a good dog." Although he may end up losing his gun license over the shooting, let's also hope that the man shot by his dog in Germany can learn to forgive his trigger-happy canine.