Merced County sheriffs say the victim and a friend were hunting near Highway 152 and Delta Saturday night.
The victim says he set his safety and put his gun on the ground while he grabbed his decoy ducks.
That's when his black labrador retriever stepped on the loaded shotgun, unset the safety and shot the gun.
The bullet hit the dog's master in the back, but doctors treated the injuries and let the man out of the hospital after a few hours.
