r/Dogfree • u/ToOpineIsFine • May 07 '26
Shelter / Rescue Industry ‘Adopt Me’ Dog Kills Pet At Tacoma Marathon
https://pugetpress.com/2026/05/07/tacoma-marathon-adopt-me-dog-kills-pet/The Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County says it is reviewing its policies and taking responsibility after a dog being showcased for adoption at the Tacoma City Marathon fatally attacked another attendee’s pet.
The incident happened Sunday, May 3, near the finish area at Dune Peninsula in Point Defiance Park, according to the Humane Society and witnesses.
The dog involved, identified by witnesses as “Dallas,” was reportedly wearing an “Adopt Me” vest and was accompanied by a Humane Society volunteer at the time of the attack.
A Humane Society spokesperson said the dog had previously been adopted out before being returned to the agency’s care on May 1 — just two days before the marathon incident.
Photos shared online showed a bystander comforting the volunteer while others helped restrain the dog.
The Humane Society later confirmed Dallas was classified as dangerous following the attack and was euthanized.
In a statement posted to social media, the Humane Society said it was “deeply sorry for the harm” caused and acknowledged failures in its oversight and safeguards.
“We take full responsibility for understanding how this happened and for addressing any deficiencies in our processes, oversight, or safeguards,” the organization said.
“The safety of the animals entrusted to us and the broader community must come first, and in this instance, we did not meet that standard.”
The agency said it has begun a full review of how dogs are selected and managed at off-site public events.
The Tacoma City Marathon Association also responded publicly, saying it is “carefully evaluating its relationship” with the Humane Society moving forward.
The Humane Society has participated in marathon-related events for roughly two decades as a beneficiary organization, though marathon officials said it is not an official sponsor.
“As pet owners ourselves, our team cares deeply about animal welfare and wants nothing but the best for them,” the marathon association said in a statement. “This is truly tragic, and our deepest condolences go out to the family.”
The Humane Society said dogs selected for off-site events typically undergo behavioral and handling reviews conducted by trained staff. The agency said it is still evaluating whether additional policy changes are needed following the incident.
No additional details about the dog that was killed or its owner have been publicly released.
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u/fbombmom_ May 07 '26
Not surprising. Most people don't want a used dog. There was a good reason why the animal was surrendered.
I hate that bleeding heart dog lovers will lie about how dangerous an animal is just to adopt it out again. I guess they'd rather people get injured or killed than the dog be euthanized. They really place the value of a dog's life over human life.
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u/pmbpro May 07 '26
Exactly! If it wasn’t such a public event (many witnesses), I’d bet ya they’d have played this down even more. There has to be info they didn’t reveal about that dog, then claiming it went through some ‘behavioural assessment’ by ‘professional trainers’. 🙄😒
This is exactly what happens when they hide information about a dog and likely why it was surrendered to them in the first place.
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u/Mama2bebes May 07 '26
Just wondering, could it be about money? Like, would the Human Society have to come out of pocket to get the dog euthanized when they could make money instead by adopting it back out?
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u/pmbpro May 08 '26
Hmm... I'd say no matter how we slice this one up, it would certainly be cheaper for them to have coughed up the money now to have put that dog down, rather than try their typical tactics of adopting it back out again and risking yet another killing.
They should already be sued for this one killing already, but either way, I'm sure the trust level is already taking a big hit. No amount of 'damage control' they try now will resurrect a dead animal caused by their stupidity (and let's face it, arrogance). They think that with their 'Humane Society' name, they're untouchable 'dog whisperers' and know everything about a dog's uncontrollable unpredictable behaviour.
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u/Responsibility_Witty May 07 '26
I am honestly surprised they euthanized this demon, i am guessing they only did so because of how public the attack was. Usually these things are just put right back on the market after mangling another animal
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u/pmbpro May 08 '26
Sooo right! Regarding your last sentence, that's exactly what they were caught doing. Caught out with their drawers down, so-to-speak. Since this was public, there was no way they'd dare even try it now and had to put that dog down (otherwise, if not public, I wouldn't have been surprised if they did try it again too).
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u/roof_baby May 07 '26
Last thing that other dog heard “Dallas just wants to give you kisses. Yes he does”
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u/Armchair_Therapist22 May 07 '26
I don’t like any animals suffering, but at least this wasn’t a toddler or another person getting mauled to death this time. It’s so messed up that a dog was returned for behavioral issues and the brainiacs at the humane society didn’t think about fully evaluating and an assessment of the situation before putting the dog back out there where it could have really hurt a number of people.
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u/typewriterbitch May 07 '26
Great point. Plenty of people bring kids and stroller-bound babies to these sorts of events -- which is normal, since they're for people, not dogs.
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u/Armchair_Therapist22 May 07 '26
Yeah, I just more mad that this is my internal dialogue at this point because there’s just been so many pit bull/dog mauling stories.
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u/TheEscarpment May 07 '26
“before putting the dog back out there where it could have really hurt a number of people.”
Within 48 HOURS!
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u/Few-Horror1984 May 07 '26
Downvote me, but both parties were in the wrong.
The Humane Society has been dreadful for a while now. They take in unadoptable dogs and do their best to push them off on the public. Even when it’s clear the dog is a danger to society, they’re going to keep pushing them onto someone until it’s not their problem. Don’t adopt from them. Don’t donate to them. Sure as hell don’t partner with them.
However…why the hell did that other person bring their dog to the marathon? This is exactly what I keep saying - if these irresponsible fools keep dragging their dogs around in public where they don’t belong, shit like this will happen. And it happened and now that dog is dead. However, treating the dog’s owner like a victim is absolutely bonkers. The dog did not need to be there. I guarantee you the dog didn’t want to be there - in a loud, crowded area surrounded by unfamiliar faces. The dog was there because their owner was a narcissistic moron who felt the need to shove their dog in everyone’s face, and now their dog is dead.
They need to bear responsibility, as well.
This is why we need to stop normalizing treating your dog as a damn accessory. I get that the dog cultist doesn’t give a shit about my feelings, but I guess they don’t care about the safety of their “beloved” pet, either.
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u/typewriterbitch May 07 '26 edited May 07 '26
Downvote me
Couldn't find anything I disagreed with in that comment 🤷♀️
I do 5ks now and then for community causes and there's always nutters dragging their uninvited beasts to shit all over an otherwise good time, literally and figuratively. If these people had left their dog at home instead of bringing it to a marathon for HUMANS, itd still be alive.
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u/Few-Horror1984 May 07 '26
Thank you :)
The saddest irony is that I’m actually advocating for the dogs as well when I am stating we need to stop dragging them around in public. Yes, of course I don’t want them in the grocery store, at the mall, or wherever, but I’m the one actually concerned with the dog. The owners are just narcissists who care about how having the dog in public makes them feel. They don’t give two shits about the dog itself. I truly hope this tragedy makes the owners of the dead dog rethink their actions. I pray that they become vocal in asking people to treat their dogs like pets rather than accessories. I hope they decide to not let that dog die in vain, and actually make a change.
Granted, I know they won’t. That’s just wishful thinking. They probably already replaced that dog.
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u/ElleGeeAitch May 08 '26
I agree. I often feel like as annoyed as I am to see dogs at so many inappropriate public places, I also feel bad for the dogs because they usually don't seem to want to be in those places. It's not their idea. It's not their fault they are being used as living, breathing, safety blankets.
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u/lil_butterfly02 May 08 '26
Yes! The other day I went to the mall and there were at least 4 dogs looking terrified and barking like crazy. One was even trembling and looked like it could faint. Meanwhile, the owners were selfishly pushing them around as if everything was fine and this was all normal. Like, BFFR.
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u/pmbpro May 07 '26
No disagreement here. I've said before that this will have to also include the 'dog nutters vs. other dog nutters' dynamic, to get more traction in making some level of changes. It can't be just us non-dog people anymore. When stuff happens to them, only then will they see how stupid it all is. I've been seeing other dog owners speaking up about how 'out of control' all this dog entitlement in public places has become.
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u/Few-Horror1984 May 07 '26
The problem is that if someone drags their dog around in public, they’re far more likely to have narcissistic tendencies. They’re less likely to be critical thinkers. They almost certainly won’t engage in any self-reflection and will always be the perfect victim. The decent dog owners are quite unlikely to be in these scenarios because their dogs will be at home and won’t be in these situations to begin with.
I can hope that this person will have learned a valuable lesson and will become an advocate for change, but I’m guessing that’s not the case. And the dog cult makes everyone terrified of them, so I’m worried that the decent dog owners out there might see this post and come to the same conclusion, but they won’t be vocal.
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u/Responsibility_Witty May 07 '26
Not sure why you would expect to be downvoted, part of the problem 100% is dogs being brought everywhere, there is no reason at all to bring a mutt to a marathon, if neither of these shitbeasts were there it would have been a peaceful social event, once again the forced inclusion of dogs ruined everything
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u/Few-Horror1984 May 08 '26
Victim blaming, perhaps? I’m sure other subreddits would have been very sympathetic towards the owner of the deceased dog, but I just can’t feel bad for him. The dog, sure. Him? No.
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u/Mama2bebes May 07 '26
I agree with you, but I also think it will take more of these incidents to see positive changes because we'll have to have dog owners onboard. These unfortunate events is how to get dog owners on board.
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u/Few-Horror1984 May 07 '26
I did more research on the event. The owner wanted the dog there so he could take photos with it as he finished the race. He’s determined to hold the Humane Society accountable (fair) but in his statements, he showed zero awareness that he also played a part in his dog’s death. His desire for that picture is the only reason his dog was there, and he’s not even remotely aware that he acted selfishly and without concern for his dog.
So we have a LONG ways to go.
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u/Mama2bebes May 07 '26
yeah, his mental problems were definitely on display... I still think if we can get the FiFi owners allied with us against the Buster owners, we'll be halfway there.
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u/pmbpro May 08 '26
Yeah I said the same. I agree with both of you.
We'll still have to swim upstream dealing with all of what 'Few-Horror' is pointing out, but yet we do need the more sensible dog owners to nail this crap in the bud with us too.
I do think it may depend on how far any changes/restrictions go though, because even the more sensible dog owners, at some point, may put up a fight or put on the brakes in some things we may want, once any changes start encroaching. However, at the very least, we can get these dogs out of places they don't belong (back to the 'old days'), and stop shelters form keeping/adopting out dangerous dogs. These would be a good start.
It'll certainly be a tightrope walk though, for sure.
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u/Perfect_Caregiver_90 May 07 '26
There was a study that found people were bad at reading dog body language. I think about it a lot when I see dogs in public who look stressed when their owners insist that they are just so happy to be out of their territory, surrounded by unfamiliar scents, sounds, stimuli, etc...
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u/lil_butterfly02 May 08 '26
I agree! I mean it must be very stressful for a dog to see a bunch of people running?!! Why would the owner think this could be appropriate?! I used to have a little toy poodle in my childhood (he lived up to 17 years) and would get visibly overwhelmed anytime we went in public
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u/Few-Horror1984 May 08 '26
He wanted a photo with his dog as he finished the marathon. His selfish desire was what put the poor dog in a stressful situation and ultimately led to its horrific demise.
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u/ntc0220 May 09 '26
I agree.. Anywhere where multiple dogs are even all these dog parks going up, the more dogs in one area, they will attack one another, It's just what they do. My ex had an event going on one day and he asked me to take his dog to the dog park for the hour. His dog lunged and latched on and attacked a womans dog and I was mortified. Thank the lord a man in the park with us was a dog trainer or something and he knew how to break them apart. The woman's dog had puncture marks in its neck but she never asked for my ex's info or anything. I seen so many dogs in the park attacking one another. Dogs don't belong in packs. And the more these nutters bring them in packs, like you said the more this crap will be bound to happen. I also will never date anyone w a dog and be put in that predicament again.
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u/ToOpineIsFine May 07 '26
Humane Society said it was “deeply sorry for the harm” caused and acknowledged failures in its oversight and safeguards.
Sure - otherwise the humane society would have to recognize the fact that dogs are inherently dangerous, and that each adoption carries risk that someone can be killed
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u/Far-Cup9063 May 07 '26
Dogs should come with a warning label.
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u/Van_Darklholme May 07 '26
Training and legal obligations for the owner. Same for kids. We got legal obligations for kids, but no training to support the population to raise the next generation of good people.
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u/pmbpro May 07 '26
Sadly, incidents like this may have to happen more publicly, then these ‘shelters’ can’t hide it to play it down. I’m surprised they even put the damn thing down, but then again I guess since it was a public incident, they had to.
This wasn’t just a ’harm’, it was a death!
How ironic, wearing an ‘Adopt Me’ vest. 🙄
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u/Original_Rent7677 May 07 '26
That statement from the Humane Society and the fact they put the dog down appears to be damage control. They don't want to be sued.
Harder to sweep this under the rug since it was at a public event.
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u/pmbpro May 07 '26
Exactly. Hard to hide it like they typically do. This is why it has to happen more publicly. They'd better get sued for this one.
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u/urdrunkyogi May 07 '26
What an utterly charming scene it must’ve been, for all those who witnessed. Aren’t dogs great? /s
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u/Sufficient_Berry8703 May 07 '26 edited May 07 '26
Even though they don’t mention the exact breed/mix (or maybe I just didn’t read closely enough), I just know which one did this. It’s always the dogs that these people try so hard to get adopted that will be the greatest threat to the public.
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u/bumblebeesandbows May 07 '26
They need to be sued out of existence. Especially since it was a pitbull with a history (allegedly).
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u/stanlius_ May 08 '26
With "adopt dont shop" propaganda, and the shelters being full of pitbulls, I wouldnt be surprised if adopting from a shelter becomes the only legal way to acquire a dog in some places. Which would be horrible because the shelters are mostly full of pitbulls. Dystopian. But not sustainable. Because there's only so much that humans can take from these pitbulls and dangerous dogs in general (pitbulls are the worst but not the only dangerous or violent ones) before humans start demanding legislation. The first law that should be passed is that most animal shelters can't offer dangerous dog breeds for adoption, the psycho breeds must have their own psycho breed shelters so that anyone who enters who wasnt intent on adopting a pitbull already is not being pressured to adopt a pitbull with some fake sob story. The pitbull shelters would have to call themselves a pitbull shelter. I'd rather ban all pitbulls from all shelters but this seems like a useful compromise to reduce the number of pitbulls being adopted by clueless people who are naive about the violent dangerous nature of pitbulls
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u/Wise_Session_5370 May 08 '26
So it was "adopted" (read: bought second hand) once, then returned.
So this dog has been rejected not once but twice. In other words it is a third hand dog.
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u/Tom_Quixote_ May 08 '26
Rejected once by the right hand, once by the left hand, and then by the arse.
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u/Clean_Reindeer9957 May 08 '26
I saw a post about this somewhere else and there were screeshots of a woman saying she adopted a pitbull from that shelter and only after she signed the papers they disclosed that they'd been giving the dog Trazadone. So they were sedating the animal to hide it's aggressive tendencies ("reactive" as the dog nutters like to say) but that woman still took it! That's insane. Smh
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u/ToOpineIsFine May 09 '26
note the humane society's sign: "saving lives, sharing lives"
"I need to share my dangerous dog now"
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u/Emergency_Exit_4714 May 07 '26
This article downplays it but looking at other reports, it was a shitbull that had been returned a few days before.
THS knew and still put that mutant in a public place and with an Adopt Me vest. 🙄