ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- A man is accused of shooting two dogs on a ranch in Orange County and video of the incident has sparked worldwide outrage. The dogs both survived, it's not the first time the man has been in trouble because of a gun.

The man says he shot the dogs to protect a calf on a ranch in south Orange County off Narcoossee Road (see map), but Eyewitness News also found out the man has a gun violation in his past.

Christopher Comins, 49, was charged with focusing his gun's laser site on his girlfriend's son's forehead. He pleaded no contest to a lesser charge and served one year probation.

The dogs were shot in an open field about 30 feet from the edge of busy Narcoossee Road. A crowd had gathered to watch the cows and the dogs, including an Irish tourist who videotaped the whole thing and posted it on YouTube.

The video shows Comins firing nine shots. Six of them hit the dogs. The video also shows Comins firing at the dogs after the owner arrives, who is screaming for him to stop. He continues to fire at the dogs after they're already down.

The video sparked an online petition drive. So far, more than 1,000 people are demanding the shooter be charged. No one is more upset than the owner.

"That guy wanted to kill those dogs. You could see he was frustrated that he couldn't kill them and that I'd arrived," said Christopher Butler.

Raley is back home with Butler, recovering from four gunshot wounds. Hoochie is still at the vet office and is going to lose one of his eyes. His owner said the dogs are so gentle and playful, they would not hurt another animal and said that's why they didn't run away even after they were shot.

The man who shot the dogs, Christopher Comins, says the dogs were after a calf and the cows had circled around to protect. Comins says he was asked by the landowner and the cattle owner to shoot the dogs.

Comins is legally allowed to have a gun even though he has a criminal record, because he pled his previous gun charges down to a misdemeanor and the felonies were dropped.

Butler believes Comins is a dangerous man.

"I was lying over Hoochie and thought, 'Surely, these people are not gonna shoot me,'" he said.

The sheriff's office agriculture division is investigating possible animal cruelty and weapons violations, but it's also possible Comins won't face any charges.