If he was walking with his dogs, then the hunter must have shot pretty near the owner.
Or the owner didn’t have the dogs on a leash.
Walking dogs can mean letting g them roam quite a distance if one is in the country, which it seems this was the case. Folks take dogs for walks around d us and thst means allowing the dog to run, explore, and do their thing.
Or the dog was off the leash and a ways form its owner.