The other day while seeking a place to detect, I found trouble. So here is the story of stories. Friday I had a whole day to spend metal detecting at my liesure because my wife and kids were out of state. Rare. I usually try to head downtown to the sketchy parts of town to detect because few if any detect there due to danger and crime. When I go there, I pack my 9mm concealed with my license in my wallet, just in case. This time I decided to put a round in the chamber (which I don't usually do) with the safety on. I had a large, boarded up house in mind, only a couple of blocks from the police station. It is abandoned, yet when I drove by, I noticed 2 cars in the back yard near the backyard in-law suite. I parked my car on John Street, across the street and down aways from the house, got out and walked the dirt drive on the side of the house which led to the backyard suite where the cars were parked. A pit bull/bulldog was tied up to a frayed rope and chain staked in the ground and a 12-13 year old African American girl was standing at the car. I introduced my self from about 20 feet away and asked of they owned the home. She said yes and I asked if her dad was there so I could ask him a question (permission to detect the side yard). The dog is barking madly, pulling on the rope/chain, clearly salivating on the ground. She went in to get him. There I am standing alone, looking that dog in the eye from 20 feet away, going crazy. The dog had a body harness on. I am waiting and waiting for the fella to come out. Five minutes or so goes by and I am looking at that dog and watching the frayed rope closely, thinking that I am in a world of hurt if that breaks, because that dog wants some meat bad. Suddenly, the chest part of the harness breaks and I see the dog whip his head around, looking at the abdomen part of the harness, with freedom in sight. I said oh crap, the harness broke, turned around and ran to the front of the house and reached the sidewalk. As I turned around, I see the dog running at me full bore! I pulled my 9mm out and took a stance with the weapon pointed at it's chest, prepared to fire. The dog suddenly stopped about 2 feet from me and growled. I had that gun right in his face and yelled, "Back, back! Sir, sir!", calling for the owner who never showed. The girl was nowhere in sight either. We had a standoff for about 1 minute. Then the dog slowly turned and started walking away and I backed off to a position across the street at the sidewalk. The dog charged me again, full blast and we ended up in the same position, gun to nose, at the edge of the street. Cars were passing by and I am thinking this is crazy. The girl showed on the dirt drive across the street and screamed, "Don't shoot my dog, don't kill my dog!". I told her that if he tries to bite me I will have to shoot and to get her dad and call your dog! Her dad finally comes running from behind the house yelling at the dog with a large rope in his hand. Here I am, gun pointed at the dog's face only 1-2 feet away. As soon as he ran into the street, the dog ran into and down the street, traffic stopping both directions. He finally caught the dog and got the rope around his neck. He said he will be right back as he took the dog to the rear of the house. He then showed up, put 2 chairs out on the front porch and we talked. He apologized and said thank you for not shooting his dog. I stated that he is a great dog for protection, and we talked about 20 minutes. Nice conversation, as my legs finally stopped shaking. He said, "What question were you going to ask?". I said I was going to ask permission to metal detect his side yard, but now I really wasn't in the mood! Just another day of detecting, one that I will not soon for forget.
Find's Treasure Forums
Welcome to Find's Treasure Forums, Guests!
You are viewing this forums as a guest which limits you to read only status.
Only registered members may post stories, questions, classifieds, reply to other posts, contact other members using built in messaging and use many other features found on these forums.
Why not register and join us today? It's free! (We don't share your email addresses with anyone.) We keep email addresses of our users to protect them and others from bad people posting things they shouldn't.
Click here to register!
Need Support Help?
Cannot log in?, click here to have new password emailed to you
Changed email? Forgot to update your account with new email address? Need assistance with something else?, click here to go to Find's Support Form and fill out the form.
Last Friday, I found trouble!
- Thread starter comisoas
- Start date
still looking 52
Well-known member
Trouble indeed! I'm not sure how I would have handled that dog charging as well as you did, glad things worked out as well as they did.
W
woody
Guest
That's something out of a movie. Funny in a way. You sure have a lot of self control.
Silver Pirate
New member
For some reason I see Samuel Jackson in a white tank top playing the part of the dog owner. Hahahaha... I would have had to ask him for some paper towels to wipe the pee off my leg. Glad it all turned out well.
Close friends have given me advice of staying out of the bad areas. I have been detecting these particular areas of town for years with no problem at all. I actually have felt relatively safe but always keep my eyes wide open. This is the only incident I have had occur since I started detecting in Goldsboro since I arrived in 1989. The civil war items are lying in wait and these are the only areas that have not been hit to death over the years. We all just have to be careful every time we go out...with permission at properties of course. This entire situation really was like out of a movie. I suppose I would be singing a different story if the dog would have clamped on my leg or arm and I had to kill the dog. The police would be called. I may have had to go to the emergency room for treatment which would cost $$$$, it would have been in the paper, the "community" may have been quite mad, the owners would have really been upset. I guess the moral of the story is that as soon as that dog started barking and yanking on the leash, I should have just turned and walked away and the whole situation would have been avoided. Lesson learned.
Dancer
Well-known member
About a 35 minute drive from me. Sits the best gunshot hospital in the tri state area. (Wonder why) Across the street, A very nice , well used park. Little league, soccer, shade trees, food venders always lined up. Locals like to wear gold. Now the down side. Most everyone's packing. Some for defense some for taking or for revenge. Few years ago 8 yr missing boy found. Poor little guy, his head never was found. Homeless man convicted. I think about it now and then, hunting the Park. Little voice keeps telling me, "Ain't worth a shot" Pun intended. Don't matter much if your packing. When your bent/ stooped over recovering a target, your dead meat.
doc holiday232
New member
"The dog owner is liable for any dog bite"---------what jury in the area is going to convict???????????????
It is mainly thugs killing thugs in the area. But I guess it only takes once and I would regret having ever been in the area. I just keep my eyes open. As I said, I have never had any problems, but it only takes once. I would have not wanted to get the owner in any kind of trouble, even if the dog bit me. I came on his property. In retrospect, as soon as I saw the barking mad dog, I should have immediately left. Good lesson.
comisoas said:
I think what we all have to remember is........ Times have changed. Shootings have changed. Many more and some without provocation.
Look at the stats in every major city... Yours was a dog scenario..Once you pulled your GUN it could have altered the whole situation.
Home owner might have pulled gun, Neighbors might have challenged a man with pulled gun . Police might have responded to Man with a gun.
What if, what if, none of that happened.. It could have !!!
The gun's purpose happened, it was imminent threat in real time from a pit bull. I say, deal what the possible events to possibly happen, after I wasn't mauled, or killed by the first threat in play. Hey. I don't know what I'd actually do in the same situation since I don't carry, besides be ready to swing my Sampson shovel. If I did have a firearm, it's purpose was for MY instant protection, dog or man. There's not really any time to time to think. Same thing as with an intruder in my house. I hope I never find myself in either of these situation, but time is short at those moments.
We'd be in for a lot of legal mess if it escalated. Guns, even in perfectly legal protection situations, puts anyone "in the system." What else can you really do though?
We'd be in for a lot of legal mess if it escalated. Guns, even in perfectly legal protection situations, puts anyone "in the system." What else can you really do though?
