A Utah hunter's dog went from man's best friend to his worst enemy Sunday.

According to KSL TV, Two men were duck hunting on the Great Salt Lake when one of the would-be duck assassins climbed out of the boat to either set or retrieve decoys.

Unfortunately before plunging into the water, he forgot to unload his 12-gauge. The dog stepped on the shotgun, dispersing 27 pellets into the man's buttocks about 10 feet away.

The 46-year-old was still recovering Wednesday, and authorities said he only suffered minor injuries partly because he was wearing waders.

Now, I don't know what this guy was taught in his gun safety course — maybe he needs a refresher — but I vividly recall being told that if you leave your gun for any reason, leave it unloaded.

The name of the "victim" has not been released, nor do I expect it to be. As for the pooch? Well, I guess that's what you call a real American Gun Dog.