The St. Joseph County Animal Patrol Commission placed Rocky, a beagle-mix adopted from the St. Joe Humane Society, on one year of probation following an incident in September in which a neighbor suffered two puncture wounds.

Brian Wagner and his wife Bonnie, who live at 16101 Marlowe Way in Granger, said Rocky was tied to a ground stake while landscaping was done, and that the stake pulled out as Rocky barked at a jogger. Rocky then approached and inflicted two puncture wounds on the jogger, the Wagners said. The Wagners included ring-doorbell video and three character letters in their packet and offered to pay for medical expenses.

The owners told the commission they have taken eight countermeasures since the incident, including never leaving Rocky outside alone, not tethering him in the front yard, keeping him on a collar and harness with two snap hooks, inspecting restraining equipment regularly, using off-peak park hours and continuing positive-reinforcement training.

Animal-control staff confirmed the dog had no prior history on file and that Rocky was adopted from the county shelter without red flags in the intake assessment. Commissioners heard from the humane-society representative that there was no prior bite history documented when Rocky entered the shelter.

After hearing the materials and owners’ corrective steps, a motion to put Rocky on probation for one year passed by voice vote. Staff told the Wagners they would contact them the following day to provide written instructions and next steps.