BAIRDSTOWN – Two local girls and their mother were injured Thursday by a loose dog that had wandered into
their yard.
The Wood County Sheriff’s Office and the Wood County dog warden are investigating the dog attack that
occurred at about 3 p.m. in the southern Wood County community of Bairdstown – in the northwest corner
of Bairdstown and Eagleville roads – shortly after the 8- and 12-year-old girls got off the school bus.

Andrew Snyder, deputy dog warden, said this morning that the county had just loaded a trap into the
vehicle to try and catch what they believe was the same dog.
"The calls that we got, we’re assuming, were on the same dog because they initially started out at
Eagleville Road and Bushey Road, a little further west of where the bite occurred," he said.
The dog warden received a call from the sheriff’s office while en route to the area where the loose dog
had been sighted. The dog, apparently a bulldog mix, was shot by Stephen Rock, the girls’ father.
Stephanie Rock, the mother, said this morning that she and both of her girls were doing relatively well
considering the circumstances. The oldest daughter was treated at Wood County Hospital and released, and
the youngest was still at Toledo Children’s Hospital
following surgery for a wound on her leg.
"She’s doing really good," Rock said. "I mean, she’s doing a lot better."
Stephanie ended up with stitches on her right leg.
"And I mean he bit me, I don’t know how many times," she said. "But I have like bruising
on the inside of both legs and my stomach … but we’re doing OK."
Brad Espen, director of environmental services at Wood County Health Department, said the dog’s head was
picked up this morning and will be sent to Columbus for rabies testing. The results should arrive by
Tuesday.
Rock said the dog initially went after her youngest daughter, who had walked outside the house to feed
the family animals. Her older daughter then went outside to assist and was also attacked. The dog turned
on Rock when she tried to help her daughters.
She said her husband, who had been sleeping between work shifts, was alerted to the situation and shot
the dog three times.
Snyder said dog licensing has increased and that there have been less calls recently about stray dogs. He
said several factors could contribute to a dog’s aggressiveness.
"In this case, I think it was a dog dropped off by its owner," he said.