A Lincoln County man, who was critically injured recently when a group of dogs attacked him while he was out for a run, is now recovering in an Oklahoma City hospital.
Lincoln County Deputy Sheriff Christopher Hyde identified the injured man as Robert Rood. Hyde was the first deputy to arrive on the scene.
The family, speaking through Lincoln County Sheriff Charlie Dougherty’s office stated on Tuesday, “He is still in the hospital, doing much better. He has had several surgeries and still has several ahead of him.”
They added, “He is in considerably good spirits given the circumstances.”
Hyde said that he was dispatched to the area of 890 Road east of the 3390 Road intersection for a report of a possible found body.
When he made contact with Jim Swafford, who reported it and who was parked about a quarter of a mile east of that intersection, Swafford pointed to the south side of the roadway and noticed Rood lying on the ground in the grass south of the road.
The deputy reported the man didn’t have any clothes on and noticed his right arm move. Hyde said he immediately called for emergency medical services to respond to the scene and noticed that Rood had numerous lacerations on him, including both arms and legs, chest head and face.
Hyde said he was alert and conscious and asked Rood what had happened.
Rood informed Hyde he was out for a run when he was attacked by a group of dogs.
As Hyde was talking to Rood, he noticed four dogs running toward him aggressively. One of the dogs was a brown and white Pitbull and another was a light colored Labrador. As they were running toward the deputy, he pulled his pistol and discharged two rounds into the ground, he said, and all four turned and ran west into a gated property on the south side of the road.
Wellston Police Chief Alf Hancock arrived on the scene and saw the four dogs as well, Hyde said.
Hyde reported Hancock assisted him with assessing Rood and learning Rood’s name. The deputy and the chief controlled the bleeding and Hyde requested dispatch to contact Survival Flight.
Chandler EMS arrived and Hyde and Hancock assisted with loading Rood into the ambulance. Deputy Sheriff Phil Bennett arrived, Hyde advised him to stay at the scene, while he and Hancock es corted the ambulance to the landing zone that was set up at the Iowa Casino for Survival Flight.
Hyde stated while there, he spoke with Rood’s wife, Temple, and his daughter, Shanti Rood. He advised them Rood was being transported to the OU Trauma Center in Oklahoma City for further medical treatment.
Hyde said he and Hancock returned to the scene where Deputy Bennett had photographed and collected Rood’s clothing and property.
Hyde spoke with Undersheriff Tim Donaldson on scene and then went back to the property where Hyde had seen the dogs returned to.
Two residents on the property advised they only had two dogs and showed the deputies the dogs which were the Pitbull that appeared to have blood on him and the Labrador, Hyde reported.
Both dogs were inside the residence, the deputy stated as they arrived, and the owner, Yuquan Weng, had to open the front door of the residence to let them outside.
Deputies advised the owners that both dogs had to be taken to a veterinary clinic for rabies quarantine and Bennet placed both in the rear of his patrol truck and transported them to the Countryside Veterinary Clinic for quarantine.
Shortly after 8 p.m. that evening, Deputy Sheriff James Robinson was dispatched back to the area of 890/3390 Road where the attack had happened earlier that day. A person called stating two of the dogs involved were back in the area.
Robinson reported he saw two white dogs with blood on them go into the property at 339243 E. 890 Road. He said one ran off and the other was shot and taken to Countryside Vet Clinic in Chandler for rabies testing.
The following evening, April 14, around 10 p.m., Sergeant Larry Stover, Jr., reported he was following up on the last dog that was still at large from the previous day’s dog attack. He said he spotted it in the driveway of 339243 E. 890 Road.
He added that after speaking the prior day with the individuals who live at that address that they wanted the dogs gone and “allowed us to collect the dogs.”
As he followed the dog, it kept walking he said and he shot the dog in the body and collected it since it had to be taken to be examined by a veterinarian.
Stover reported the individuals that live there thanked him for taking the dog off the property. He transported it to the Perkins Animal Hospital for testing, he said.