Fatal local-sheriff-attributed incident record · 2025-09-23
Woman, 61, dies after Blount County dog attack; two men hospitalized
A September 23, 2025 attack near Cleveland injured three adults; Sandra Wolfe Schaefer died September 26. Local reporting identifies the dog as a pit bull, without independent breed verification.
Fatal · 1 victimBreed: Pit bull (local-reporting identification; pedigree unverified)Blount County, AL
Date2025-09-23 · Before dawn (local time), Tuesday, September 23, 2025; exact emergency dispatch time not independently established.
LocationMacks Way in the Cleveland/Oneonta area of Blount County, Alabama; no street number or precise residence published by BiteDB.
Victim(s)Three adults were hospitalized after the September 23 attack. Sandra Wolfe Schaefer (also named Sandra Wolfe Schaefer Weems in local coverage), 61, died September 26. Her husband and a man caring for the dog were also injured; their subsequent medical outcomes were not established in reviewed sources.
Dogs involvedOne dog being cared for by a man while its owner was incarcerated, according to the Blount County Sheriff’s Office as quoted by news outlets. The dog attacked its caretaker and then the visiting couple who intervened. A fourth person shot and killed the dog. The dog reportedly tested negative for rabies.
Injury severityFatal — 61-year-old woman died September 26 following the September 23 attack; two additional adult male bite victims required hospitalization. The reviewed reports do not document the two survivors’ final medical outcomes.
Breed attributionPit bull (local-reporting identification; pedigree unverified)The Blount Countian’s September 28 report identifies the dog as a pit bull while citing Sgt. Jason Paul of the Blount County Sheriff’s Office for the incident account. WBRC’s September 26 report identifies the dog only as a dog. BiteDB retains the local media-attributed breed wording, without independent veterinary, genetic or pedigree verification; classification does not establish breed-specific propensity.
What the record currently shows
Incident summary
The Blount County Sheriff’s Office said a man walking a dog he was caring for on Macks Way in the Cleveland area was attacked before dawn on September 23, 2025. A visiting couple attempted to intervene and the dog also attacked them. All three were hospitalized; 61-year-old Sandra Wolfe Schaefer, also identified as Schaefer Weems in local reporting, died September 26. A fourth person shot the dog, which reportedly tested negative for rabies. Sheriff’s-office reporting indicated that criminal charges were not expected, not that any court had adjudicated responsibility. The Blount Countian described the dog as a pit bull; breed was not independently verified.
Legal-status noteLocal reporting quoting Blount County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Jason Paul said no criminal charges were expected as of September 28, 2025. That is a reported expectation, not a dismissal order, court ruling or civil-liability finding. Dog reportedly shot and killed at the scene; rabies test negative.
Media & source coverage
Video, reporting and source material
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Source provenance
Primary record used by BiteDB
The Blount Countian — One Dead and Two Injured in Cleveland Dog AttackLocal newspaper reporting by Kristin Yarbrough attributing incident chronology and disposition to Blount County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Jason Paul; breed wording appears in the local report. · Published 2025-09-28 · Accessed 2026-10-23The Blount Countian reported a September 23 attack on Macks Way, three hospitalized victims, the woman’s death on September 26, a dog killed at the scene, a negative rabies test, and no expected criminal charges, quoting Sgt. Jason Paul. Its article describes the dog as a pit bull but provides no pedigree or genetic confirmation.
Open original source ↗ Additional sources
WBRC — Woman dead, multiple injured in Blount County dog attackIndependent local television newsroom citing Blount County Sheriff’s Office; corroborates dates, three victims, dog killed and negative rabies test without asserting breed · 2025-09-26Open source ↗ People — Alabama woman, 61, dies after attack, two others injuredNational reporting with named victim and sheriff-office information; secondary contextual corroboration · 2025-09-29Open source ↗ BlountAnimals — Cleveland dog attack report with victim full-name variantAnimal-advocacy republication of local reporter Kristin Yarbrough’s account; same reporting, not an independent fourth source · 2025-09-27Open source ↗ Data-quality notes
What BiteDB does not infer
Breed is recorded only at the provenance level shown above. Missing injury details, dog history, ownership facts or circumstances remain unknown unless a reliable source establishes them. This record may be updated as police, animal-control, medical, court or follow-up reporting becomes available.