Rocket retriever - has anyone done this?

[ActingLikeAKid]

The other day, at the end of a VERY long and rambling train of thought, something occurred to me:

Has anyone ever used a dog to help with finding rockets? I mean you don't want to have Rover grab your Estes Black Star Voyager and tear across a field with it, nor do you want any living creatures near an HPR rocket that may or may not have un-detonated charges in it. (without verifying what's happened)....

But dogs CAN be trained (e.g. bomb-sniffing dogs) to find something and alert without touching. Just wondered if anyone had ever tried something like this. I don't even have a dog, I'm just curious.

(and obviously or not, if there were any question about the dog's welfare, I'd yell a resounding NO, but I would think that most dogs would enjoy a romp in a big open field....)

 

[ActingLikeAKid]

Bonus to this method: Eggfinders and Telemetrums are great, but will never run to the door to greet you when you get home.
Downside to this method: You will never have to clean up Eggfinder poop.

 

[jd2cylman]

Man, I hate it when you step in Eggfinder poop at 2 in the morning... uke:
The main problem I see would be the strongest smell from the rockets would be the propellant residue. And everybody's rockets would smell the same. Which one does the dog retrieve? Hmm, maybe the dog upgrades my rocket collection... :wink:

Good dog!

 

[RocketFeller]

I thought about this. It seems like it would be easy enough to train a hound dog to go after a certain smell and then douse the Nomex blanket with that scent. As far as the propellant smell, drug dogs are able to detect small quantities of drugs even when masked by extremely strong odors.

 

[ActingLikeAKid]

Yeah, I was thinking maybe just give your rocket a specific smell with whatever's handy.

Just not steak.

 

[tfish]

I tried using my Yellow Lab once. His name is Rocket.



It didn't work out as well as I had thought.

Tony

 

[jd2cylman]

I tried using my Yellow Lab once. His name is Rocket.

View attachment 313380

It didn't work out as well as I had thought.

Tony

Awe... Isn't that sweet. He's marking that chute as yours... Well, his, anyway...

 

[stealth6]

I tried using my Yellow Lab once. His name is Rocket.

View attachment 313380

It didn't work out as well as I had thought.

Tony

This just has to win "post of the day" at the very least.
Maybe even "of the week/month/year".

s6

 

[djs]

It didn't work out as well as I had thought.

It really sucks when your dog spills your mountain dew.

 

[tightwad]

Back in the mid 80's I flew my 2 stage Apache rocket while enjoying the ocean. I lost track of the upper stage of the Apache and it land deep in the dune areas with thick waist deep grass. I told my two dogs, both Labs, to find it. The dogs both charged into the dune with a burst of energy usually associated with pheasant hunting. As they bounded through the dune grass I could see their tails wagging faster and faster. Finally they stopped and with their noses shoved deep into the grass. The look on their faces told me that they had found it and they had. So to answer the question, yes, you can find rockets with a dog. Oh yes, and they received their good dog treats when we got back to the truck. Take that rocket gods!

 

[ActingLikeAKid]

Back in the mid 80's I flew my 2 stage Apache rocket while enjoying the ocean. I lost track of the upper stage of the Apache and it land deep in the dune areas with thick waist deep grass. I told my two dogs, both Labs, to find it. The dogs both charged into the dune with a burst of energy usually associated with pheasant hunting. As they bounded through the dune grass I could see their tails wagging faster and faster. Finally they stopped and with their noses shoved deep into the grass. The look on their faces told me that they had found it and they had. So to answer the question, yes, you can find rockets with a dog. Oh yes, and they received their good dog treats when we got back to the truck. Take that rocket gods!

This story makes me happy.

 

[jrkennedy2]

This just has to win "post of the day" at the very least.
Maybe even "of the week/month/year".

s6

+1!

 

[Zeus-cat]

Back in the mid 80's I flew my 2 stage Apache rocket while enjoying the ocean. I lost track of the upper stage of the Apache and it land deep in the dune areas with thick waist deep grass. I told my two dogs, both Labs, to find it. The dogs both charged into the dune with a burst of energy usually associated with pheasant hunting. As they bounded through the dune grass I could see their tails wagging faster and faster. Finally they stopped and with their noses shoved deep into the grass. The look on their faces told me that they had found it and they had. So to answer the question, yes, you can find rockets with a dog. Oh yes, and they received their good dog treats when we got back to the truck. Take that rocket gods!

That's a great story, but I am afeart that ye shall pay for that last sentence. The rocket gods do not like to be mocked and one day, somehow, will exact their revenge.

 

[Bat-mite]

It's one of those things that sounds possible, but not really practical in the long run. Imagine 200 dogs at LDRS, dog trying to pull a rocket out of a low-hanging tree, dog swimming across irrigation ditch with rocket in tow ....

I'll stick with GPS. :wink:

 

[Igotnothing]

They say cats may be better at bomb-sniffing than dogs. The difference is cats won't tell you they found one.

 

[dr wogz]

I do think this is a neat idea.. But not to put a downer on this:

I fly (flew?!) many a rocket at my local R/C field. A few flyers occasionally bring their dogs. (bad move in my opinion..) One day I pulled out my BBII 2.6" dia, shoved a G80 in it, and set the pad up on the runway. Many were keen & eager to see her go! Button pushed, and off she went. All the usual 'OOhs & Ahhs' from the crowd, and a good flight & recovery. We eventually packed up & went home.

The following week-end, when I arrived at eh field, one fellow flyer came to talk to me, and politely ripped me a new one. Apparently the launch the week previous scared his little dog so much, that it ran off into the woods behind us. He's been to the field every day since to try and get him back. No luck, the little guy was gone. Also, it being winter didn't help the little guy's survival.. So, rockets are kinda taboo now at our field. Dogs too..

 

[Zonie]

Teach your dog to love that "spent rocket smell" that we all love!