DIY Vetinary surgery
So, the young pistonbroke got his first air rifle - great for shooting all my brothers toys, the sparrows off the washing line, basically pretty much anything - I even used to dry fire it at our wimpy "gun dog" - a black labrador so pathetic that it used to run away from the sound of gunfire rather than look for something to fetch.

So, one day, at home alone, I deceided to go out shooting and pulled the rifle out from under my bed - grabbed a tin of ammo, and popped an empty round at the dog who as usual whelped and ran away.
When I got back (final score 1 pigeon and 2 sparrows) the dog came over to make sure I still loved him, I gave him a bit of a stroke and then noticed my hand was covered in sticky blood.

on the dogs snout, a little under his eye was the unmistakable round tail end of a pellet, embedded deep into the poor creature - it seems either I'd left a round in the gun, or my brother had been messing with it (I suspect the latter).

Well, with my parents due home, drastic action was called for - the removal should have been simple, but the pellet had mushroomed in contact with the snouty bones of the dog, so I had to open the wound up with a small paring knife to remove the pellet - this left a nasty crater of raw red flesh on the poor creatures muzzle - pretty "bloody" obvious -now I'd already tasted the parents wrath when I'd "borrowed" my dads best shotgun, so I knew that a probable early death awaited me if I was rumbled - so my racing brain settled on painting the wound black with modelling paint to disguise it.

The wound was of course noticed in due course, but by then had become a scabby mess, and was put down the the dog tangling with a cat it should have left alone - basically, I got away with it
The dog healed up ok too, no infection or anything, but it did forever have a bald patch on its face a which gave me guilt for as long as it lived.
(pistonbroke, Sun 23 Jan 2011, 16:33, 6 replies)

At least the dog healed fine
but your still something of a twat for firing a gun, even an air rifle, at your dog. The "I thought it was empty, but holy crap it wasn't" thing is one of the biggest and oldest problems with guns. Poor puppy.
( Ithyphallophobia, Mon 24 Jan 2011, 5:59, closed)

In the RAAF
one of the first things they pounded into us about our firearms was
"never point it at something you don't intend to kill"
Mind, growing up on a farm & that I'd already been shooting/hunting/culling since I was about 12.
(M61A1 CUPID- STUNTS, Mon 24 Jan 2011, 6:59, closed)

Little shit.
Poor doggus.
( Rookie You'll have to speak up, I'm wearing a towel, Mon 24 Jan 2011, 10:23, closed)

That's a lovely story
but I can't help thinking that you deserve to fall over one day, incapacitated, and have your eyes pecked out by sparrows. And pigeons.
(mersault, Mon 24 Jan 2011, 17:20, closed)

Then be pissed upon
by a labrador.

No wonder the UK largely banned gun ownership. If the rest are like you then no one should be allowed to possess anything more lethal than an order of chips.
(grundig Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!, Mon 24 Jan 2011, 21:11, closed)

I've been pissed upon by a labrador
Not as pleasant an experience as you suggest.

I have also had a few opportunities to fire an air rifle. Shooting targets, cans and the like is good fun. Snuffing the life out of animals for the hell of it is a bit prince harry for me.....

Edit: If there was a god I would roundly thank him that the UK is largely gun-free. Loads less guns = loads less gun crime. Fact. Mind you, you should see the damage some people can do with a sharpened portion of chips (freedom fries)
(mersault, Tue 25 Jan 2011, 12:28, closed)