Hunter was killed by his beloved dog

Sunny "Tex" Gilligan, 74, a resident of Doña Ana County, told the Sun Cruces newspaper in Las Cruces that Charlie and his two other dogs – Scooter and Cowboy – had accompanied him on Thursday to hunt for jackrabbits in the desert, west of Las Cruces, October 25th. Gilligan was in the driver's seat of his van parked, with the dogs, when he was shot.
(Courtesy of Mark Gilligan)

Sonny Gilligan has learned the hard way that an old dog can learn new tricks, such as shooting a shotgun from the back seat of a van.

Gilligan, of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, was shot to the rear while he was sitting in the front seat of his van parked at a jackrabbit hunting party. With his three dogs – Charlie, Scooter and Cowboy – west of Las Cruces on Thursday, the El Paso Times reports.

"Charlie put his foot in the gun trigger and I leaned forward, slipped off the seat and grabbed the trigger – and the shot was fired," Gilligan told the newspaper. "It was an abnormal accident but it's true, that's what happened."

Charlie's shotgun, a 120-pound mix of Rottweiler – or possibly a "shot-weiler" – hit the driver's seat and entered Gilligan's back, breaking several ribs and collarbone. He was lucky to survive this abnormal accident, he said.

"I was very lucky to be able to access my phone," Gilligan told the newspaper. "The [Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office] The first responders saved me. If they waited another 10 minutes, I would be dead. I lost so much blood. I know I passed each other just before arriving at the hospital, but they managed to revive me through CPR and bring me home. "

Police and state police found Gilligan, 74, next to his truck after the shootings near County Roads B4 and B5. He was transported by helicopter to a hospital in El Paso, where he underwent several surgeries, but should recover completely, the newspaper reports.

Gilligan, who is called Tex, did not return messages asking for comments. He was to be transferred Wednesday to a detox center in Las Cruces.

The three dogs, meanwhile, were sent to "jail" after the incident – the animal service center of the Mesilla Valley, joked Gilligan.

"It was an accident, although they tease me, asking me if he did it on purpose," Gilligan told the El Paso Times. "In truth, he is a great loving dog and would never hurt anyone on purpose."

The three dogs were saved by Gilligan when they were puppies. Charlie the Rottweiler was even taken care of free in El Paso, he said.

But the accidental shot did not shock Gilligan's son, who said the adoptive mutts were known to be rowdy.

"They are energetic and energizing," Mark Gilligan told the newspaper. "That's why the owners have abandoned them. My dad has four acres of land so that they can run freely. So it did not surprise me at all. When they see a cow or other animals, they want to jump to the front.

This article originally appeared in the New York Post.