Man accused of encouraging dogs to attack each other at dog training facility
Two dogs were injured last year when a dog-training employee got them to fight each other, according to Pierce County prosecutors.
Prosecutors charged a 60-year-old man Tuesday with two counts of first-degree animal cruelty in the Nov. 11, 2025 incident at the PacwestK9 dog training facility on 6th Avenue, according to court records.
The man has been summoned for a hearing May 5 at the Pierce County Superior Court.
The News Tribune has reached out to the man for comment but hasn’t heard back.
Gina Lopez, owner of PacwestK9, told The News Tribune on Thursday that the man was an employee whose job was to watch boarded dogs. She added her business does not promote dogs fights.
“We are for healthy, sound-minded dogs. We help customers all over the Puget Sound,” she said.
Lopez said as soon as she saw the incident involving the man and the two dogs, she did not let him back into her business. She also worked with animal control because she did not want him to go to another facility or get a job involving animals.
“He shouldn’t be around any dogs or any animals,” Lopez said. “I’m advocating for the dogs.
Details of the incident through charging documents
An officer was dispatched on Nov. 21, 2025 to the facility where a witness working there showed them security footage of the alleged attack, according to the probable cause affidavit.
The footage showed the man sitting on a bench drinking water with several dogs around him at around 5:40 p.m. He allegedly was seen saying he wanted to see fight, documents show. The man allegedly said, “I need a fight,” and “Who’s dog are you going to fight tonight?”
Footage showed he walked to a kennel and asked the dog if it wanted to fight another dog. The kenneled dog, a tan Doberman named Thanos, walked out. Another dog, a Labrador mix named Nino, approached Thanos. The witness told the officer that the man knew Thanos and Nino were hostile towards each other, according to court documents.
Documents show the dogs began snapping, barking and growling at each other. The man allegedly held Thanos to the ground and allowed Nino to bite him in the front leg, according to the security footage. He also yelled he had been bitten on the arm and let go of Thanos. The dogs bit at each other, and the man was unable to separate them. The dogs eventually separated on their own. The incident occurred for two minutes.
The witness said she asked the man to explain what occurred, and he said Thanos broke out of the kennel and attacked Nino. The witness said that story did not match up what was shown on the footage.
Documents show Thanos had puncture wounds to his legs and foot. Nino had puncture wounds to his neck and face.
The witness said the man had been working at the facility for three months, and she was not aware of any prior incidents.
Court documents show a manager at the facility reached out to investigators with a statement. The email had links attached to footage of the incident and a post-incident interview where the witness asked the man to tell her what happened.
A police officer wrote in a report that the man knowingly inflicted pain and injury to the dogs when he allowed them to fight. He also inflicted injury and pain to Thanos when he laid on the dog so Nino could bite him.
This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 5:30 AM.
CORRECTION: This story was updated to clarify the position the defendant held at the facility and to include comments from the business owner.
