Ahh the joys of urban parks-Minor assault on me & my doggie today!

[Darkflight]

I guess I got lucky. The only damage was a minor crack in the waterproof case I had on my Tesoro.

I was detecting a close to home park that I had an issue at before. I always detect wth my dog,a mid size sheppard mix. She's very friendly & minds very well.At the same park about 6 months back I had been attacked by a large rhodesian ridgeback while unloading my gear. I was in the hatch of my van & the dog came up & stuck his head in. I thought he was overly friendly but when I tried pushing him away he growled in my face. Never have troubles with dofs-this one is a definite problem. I had my daughter with me & just left after cussing out the owner-who of course didn't seem at all concerned.

I kinda forgot about all that & went for a quikie today. Scored an Avon charm bracelt & a good looking fake diamond ring. I was digging a target when a dog came up. At first he acted friendly then just lunged onto my dog grabbing it by the throat!. I was right there & although I probably should not have-wrestled his dog away.

The owner started yelling at me?. Then he knocked me over scattering my detector & gear on the nearby basketball court.

I had my digger in my hand & was trying to decide if enough was enough. I kept away from him as best I could while gathering my stuff. In another stupid move I told him up front I was calling the cops. He did not take that well. I got into my van & started it so I could leave quick if I had too.

Now I'm oldd fashioned & don't own a cell phone. So I watched the guy go into his house nearby to get his adress & went down the street. A neighbor was out working on his car a block down so I stopped & called the police from his phone.

The guy ended up driving off before the cops came so I supplied them with the incident information,his adress & license #...

I have to call Animal control in the morning. The dog is dangerous & I hope the idiot owner had a warrant or did something stupid when he talked to the police.Apparently just knocking me over would not be considered assault as I was uninjured.

I'm ok & patched the crack in my container with crazy glue.Doggie is fine. But I'm still a bit shaken..

PS-I told the officer I had my digger in my hand & took the discretion not to use it. Choosing to de-escalate seemed the best thing to do. The officer definitely agreed & said if I had used it I would likely have been the one charged. Joy...

 

[dixiedigger57]

hey dark flight, i am a retired cop and hunt with a .38 ready available, amongst things, like my other hidden piece, several blades, and a ww2 entrenching shovel. i hunt urban enviro, and threw down on one before that was a known street robber. dont tread on me, and if you try..... you should also sue the jerk in civil court, i am sure there are dog laws. going to have a run in with a neighbor about a loose chow now. been warned by animal control already, now its action time. dont tread on me!

 

[Darkflight]

I'm just going to make sure there is a follow through on this one. IMHO there are no bad dogs-just bad dog owners.

I mean the guy was an idiot. I had the trowel with a sharp serated edge in my hand. Why he figured it best to get angry with me when his dog attacked mine.Definite whaco & Lord knows its best to keep away if you can.

And it was definitely the same dog/guy as before.

Anyhow-The ring looks fake but the stones sure look good. I'll get it checked when I do a batch.The bracelet is Avon & not gold.My oldest girl has claimed it happily. And that nickle was at an honest 10" with my silver U-max in wet sand playbox. I had my 10x12 coil on but the sand was masking deeper targets. As I had just found the ring & bracelet within inches I went to all metal & pulled up a few deep coins this one being the deepest.

 

[Furious T]

Thats the sort of thing you dont need when you are just out to enjoy yourself, and not doing anyone any harm. Hope that you're not too shaken up....a couple of nice finds, anyway.

 

[Roscue2]

And you or your dog weren't injured? Reminds me of when this guy and his dog came riding through a park one day while me and my Dad where mding. The dog went and jumped on my Dad while he was digging... it was just playing though. That incident was actually pretty funny.

Your situation, not so much. I have to applaud you for not blowing a fuse on this waco.
Good luck and HH!!!!

 

[jmaryt]

he assaulted you!..you had a right to defend yourself!
you could have gotten seriously hurt,or even killed!

(h.h.!)
j.t.

 

[jmaryt]

defending yourself is a constitutional right "guaranteed' by the constitution of the united states!
protect yourself first,and sort it out in court!

(h.h.!)
j.t.

 

[hershey1]

Concealed carry permit works for me and they are honored in most states. Hope I never get in a situation like you did but you do have the right to defend yourself. Glad you and your dog are OK.

 

[mudpuppy]

Damn! I hunt a lot of urban parks too. I do try to get there really early, and only when the weather is crappy, and try to stay aware of my surroundings, but have had several incidents where folks have snuck up on me. Are bayonet attachments or a metal detector with a built in taser available yet? Guess a fellow can throw a can of pepper spray in the pouch!

 

[bossman]

Wasp spray is the answer. Legal to carry, shoots 15 to 20 ft. Blinds the person completely till washed out. We recommend this to Lady's for protection,also have a can on the night stand.

 

[opus]

Commando coinshooting! It's a sad state of affairs. I don't want to sound like a coward but most times in a public park my hunting is done by 9:00 A.M.. When I use headphones I always have them half on, half off. I've never had any trouble, mainly people ignore me which is the way I prefer it, or they're just curious and ask me a couple of questions and when I show them a handful of pull-tabs they walk away fast. Give me the backyard of a 120 year old house any day of the week!

 

[dewcon4414]

Its starting to be a shame when you have to wear rattle snake or buds to hear whats going on around you. I can recall several incidents of dogs or people with attitudes... even once a shooting that happened a few min. after i left a park. Following thru on incidents like this is the way to go. Dangerous dogs and people need to be stopped before something more serious happens. There are a LOT of angry people now days.... i guess life suck for them. We tend to be a target anytime we are alone.... so be careful.

Dew

 

[Larry (IL)]

Sounds like a can of pepper spray might be part of our recovery kit.

 

[Cupajo]

Wasp spray should work well on dogs too! Does anyone here know anything from actual experience regarding this spray. Will it cause permanent eye damage to man or beast!? Before using the spray it might be a good idea to know what the consequences are.

An acquaintance of mine is on permanent disability from a "playful" dog running up and impacting the man's chest.

He used to be very athletic and agile as a tree climbing arborist (Tree Doctor).

In his mid thirties, he had spent many years working at this physically demanding job until he one day was talking to a client about how her trees should be cared for.

He heard her dog running toward them and turned to face it just as the big, heavy beast collided with him, knocking him down.

The impact caused irreparable damage to his spine.

Today he is back on his feet, but barely able to get around and on permanent disability.

Conclusion? Even a playful dog can be a hazard!

CJ

 

[jmaryt]

this is correct,however "reciprocity" agreements are tricky!..need to check that more closely
depending upon where you live.

(h.h.!)
j.t.

 

[dixiedigger57]

yea, if you can avoid a fight do, but as an old retired cop, when someone knows you will back down, you will have a problem from then on. you fellas be carefull about what you take in a park or schoolground. there are some leftist do goodie we shall hold hands and sing silly songs people out there that will call in on you because you have a potential weapon! already had a friend durn near get locked up on a knife ordinance in a park! What is the offset handle knife/digging tool everyone uses classified as? a knife, or a digging tool? i carry an old knife for plug cutting, called a duct knife. looks like a double edged dagger. i am authorized to carry my pistol, and expected to act if need be in an emergency situation. hope those days are behind me, but todays world aint getting any better. hunt with a friend. I am contemplating starting a Middle Georgia club of some type, not formal, just to find hunting partners. there are safety in numbers. stupid people do not abide by the law. laws are for law abiding people. its better to be tried by twelve than carried by six. SAFE HUNTING!

 

[Darkflight]

That's a good way of having a chance to ward off an aggressive dog. Or in this case owner. I would have been well within my rights to spray him I'm certain. Puncturing him I recconed would lead to more problems.

I think the ring is real!

I saw some discoloration to the metal & no markings. But I got my loop out & the stones look really good & pass the "dot" test(place diamond over tiny dot on white paper-if you see a circle pattern-nope). The ring chimes in above nickle below tab on my Silver.

And the mounts are very well made which is a good sign.

I want to spend more time beeping the park but its going to be on off hours & no dog or kids.Its a great neighborhood actually. A lot of the areas I detect are truly blighted areas-where homeless etc wander by all the time. Never an issue.

Also-I'm sure I'm not the only one that had issues with this guy & his dog. So hopefully my report was the last straw. I'd hate to have a neighbor like that & I'm sure his feel likewise.

Thanks. Too much rain even for me to head out in today so I may just go shopping for wasp spray.

 

[jmaryt]

"the right to keep and bear arms shall NOT be infringed!"..a right "guaranteed"
by the 2nd amendment to the constitution.,however,the only time a deadly weapon can be used
is when your life is in imminent danger,AND you cannot escape,even then,"deadly force'
is frowned upon,and will require extensive court appearances to "resolve" the issue!
even trained law enforcement officers require an extensive investigation when a person is "shot"
when the officer is trying to enforce the law,and the officer's firearm is "generally" confiscated until successful resolution is accomplished
by the departmental internal investigation process.

(h.h.!)
j.t.

 

[Cupajo]

A friend with law enforcement connections thinks Wasp Spray may be illegal in Michigan and possibly in other states!

Best to read the label too as some of this stuff could possibly cause blindness.

Should one's life be at stake, perhaps this would become a non-issue, but all sorts of legal entanglements could result from using an illegal substance if the law enforcement folks decided to make an issue of it!

Just think of the attacker being blinded for life by tossing acid (Or wasp spray) in his face and how much less trouble would result if your life was truly in danger and you shot and killed the assailant!

CJ

 

[Prep1957]

If your in Illinois you have the right to pay taxes anything else is Illegal.The only way they will give you a break is if you are a Democrat and belong to a Union.I buy all the hunting licences if I am on private property I wear a .22 stainless steel revolver in plain view right next to my Garrett pin-pointer just make sure you are on land that you can carry open no concealed carry In communist Illinois.I have been checked many times by police most ask why I have a gun tell them I am coyote hunting most smile and leave.I bought the I Kam glasses they are great you video tape everything If you would have had them on it would have been great help to police and your case.I loaned my glasses to a friend he was able to video tape his boss harassing him and other employees the company would not believe them until they seen video he was fired on the spot he had over 20 years with that company.By the way the police are video taping you you have the right to video tape them I do not really think the full impact of these small video camera's have been really realized yet I wear mine everyday while driving got some neat video.