Woman dead, 2 others injured after dog turns on sitter
By Riley Conlon
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ONEONTA, Alabama (WVTM) — A woman is dead, and two others are injured after a dog attack in Blount County.
It happened around 3 a.m. Tuesday on Mack’s Way in Oneonta, according to the Blount County Sheriff’s Office.
Officials say the dog first attacked its sitter, who had been watching it for more than a month while its owner was in the Jefferson County Jail.
Sandra Schaefer and her husband, who were visiting with the sitter, attempted to pull the dog off of him when they were attacked as well.
The attack was finally ended when a fourth person was able to shoot and kill the dog. All three victims were hospitalized with severe injuries, and Schaefer later died.
Officials say that there is no history of violence from the dog before or during its time with the sitter.
The dog tested negative for rabies. No criminal charges are expected.
This attack follows several deadly incidents with dogs over the last year.
Two separate dog attacks in central Alabama in July resulted in the deaths of two people, including a child, and left another woman injured.
Back in March, 6-month-old Ember Southard was killed by her family pit bull at her home in Alabaster.
In February, a Tuscaloosa County woman was killed by a pack of dogs she was feeding for a neighbor in the Echola community and a 78-year-old woman from Lee County was killed by two dogs of the cane corso breed.
Another Tuscaloosa County woman was killed in July 2024 when she was attacked by a bullmastiff outside her home in the Berry community.
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