Dog accidentally shoots owner with rifle

SHERIDAN, Wyo., Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Authorities in Wyoming said a man was shot in the arm when his dog stepped on a loaded gun in the back seat of his pickup truck.

Johnson County Sheriff Steve Kozisek said Richard Fipps, 46, of Sheridan, was standing next to his pickup truck Monday when his dog climbed from the front seat to the back seat and stepped on the loaded .300 Winchester Magnum, which did not have its safety activated.

The gun fired off a round that struck Fipps in the left arm, Kozisek said.

Kozisek said evidence from the scene and statements from two employees who were working with Fipps at the time of the incident support Fipps' version of events.

Authorities said Fipps' injury is not considered life-threatening, but there is a chance he could lose his arm.