GENEVA, Ala. (WTVY) – A Geneva woman was hospitalized Thursday after being attacked by three dogs on her way to work, and her family says the city received complaints about the animals before the attack occurred.
Sheila Pate walked the same route to work for seven years before the attack. She said she was approximately 20 feet from her home when she encountered the dogs.
“So I started backing up, and {they} started charging me,” Pate said.
Video footage from her neighbor’s ring camera captured the attack. Pate was bitten across her body by three dogs and was transported to Wiregrass Hospital.
“I seriously thought I was fixing to die,” Pate said. “And I said, ‘God, please get these dogs off of me. They’re going to kill me.’”
Pate’s son, Kenneth, said the city had received prior notice about the unruly dogs hours earlier from another neighbor.
Geneva Police Chief Pepper Mock told News4 an officer responded to the first call but left the scene to assist with storm cleanup. Animal control was later dispatched to pick up the dogs, but before officers arrived, police received another call reporting that the dogs had attacked Sheila Pate.
“The situation he left almost killed my mama,” Kenneth Pate said.
Kenneth blames the city of Geneva. His mother said she agrees.
“The owners should be held accountable. The city should be held accountable,” Sheila Pate said. “That’s just plain and simple.
Pate said she does not plan to walk that street again and is focused on recovering from her injuries.
Chief Mock said the investigation into the incident is ongoing with possible criminal charges against the dogs’ owners.
Download the WTVY News4 app to get alerts and stories the moment they are published. Available for FREE in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store!
Copyright 2026 WTVY. All rights reserved.