The last thing an experienced hunter would expect is to be shot by his "best friend" while they're out hunting together. Especially when "best friend" actually refers to his dog.

But that's exactly what happened last weekend to 55-year-old Rene of France, who refused to give his last name.

"He jumped on me as if to give me a hug," said Rene, "and as he jumped, his paw hit the trigger."

Rene told radio station France-Bleu Périgord how, as on many other occasions, he was out hunting deer with three of his Blue Gascony Basset hounds in the southwest of France, near his hometown of St Michel de Double. Two of the dogs were running after an animal, while the youngest lingered behind, close to him.

"I looked at my hand and straight away called my son who was not far away," said Rene, describing what happened after the gun was set off. He told France-Bleu that the tissue on his right hand was beyond repair and as a result, doctors had to amputate it.

The local reporter who spoke to him told ABC News that Rene will spend at least a week recovering in the University Hospital of Bordeux, where he was transported by helicopter quickly after the accident.

Far from being angry at his pet, however, Rene called him "adorable."

"It's not the dog's fault," Rene told France-Bleu, explaining how the young hound is still in training, and not a full-fledged hunting dog yet.

Despite the amputation, Rene joked that he had only one thing on his mind, to resume his work as a professional hunter, in the same forest where the unfortunate incident occurred.