A downtown Tacoma dog training center is now wrapped up in a felony case after prosecutors say security video caught a trainer goading two dogs into a fight on site last fall. The Nov. 11, 2025 incident at the PacWestK9 facility left a tan Doberman named Thanos and a Labrador mix named Nino with puncture wounds, according to charging documents, and prosecutors have summoned the man for a May 5 hearing in Pierce County Superior Court. Police and prosecutors say the footage and witness statements do not match the trainer's version of what went down inside the 6th Avenue business.
As reported by The News Tribune, prosecutors on Tuesday charged a 60-year-old man with two counts of first degree animal cruelty tied to the Nov. 11 confrontation at the PacWestK9 dog training facility. Court records, the outlet reports, show a manager at the business gave investigators links to the security footage and to a post-incident interview, and a witness told officers the trainer had been working at the site for about three months. According to The News Tribune, the man has been ordered to appear May 5 in Pierce County Superior Court.
Security Footage Allegedly Shows Dogs Pushed Into Fight
Charging documents describe security video that prosecutors say captured the trainer setting up the clash. According to those records, the man can be heard saying, "I need a fight" and "Who's dog are you going to fight tonight?" before walking a kenneled Doberman named Thanos out and allowing a Labrador mix, Nino, to move in.
The footage, as summarized in the court papers and reported by The News Tribune, then shows the trainer holding Thanos to the ground while Nino bites the Doberman's front leg as the dogs snap and bark at each other for roughly two minutes. Those clips sit at the heart of the case and are central to the first degree animal cruelty charges.
Where It Happened And What Comes Next In Court
PacWestK9 lists its downtown Tacoma training center at 1418 6th Ave, the same address identified in the charging documents. The PacWestK9 website advertises board-and-train programs and working-dog services at that location.
The defendant is scheduled for a May 5 hearing at Pierce County Superior Court, housed at 930 Tacoma Ave S. That appearance will be the next public step in a case that started with a training session and is now playing out in a felony courtroom.
What First Degree Animal Cruelty Means In Washington
Under Washington law, first degree animal cruelty is defined as intentionally inflicting substantial pain on an animal or causing physical injury, and it is classified as a class C felony. Courts must also order that anyone convicted is barred from owning or caring for animals. The statutory language and penalties are laid out in RCW 16.52.205, which is part of The Revised Code of Washington. The law also allows for animals to be seized as a condition of bond along with other measures.
Pierce County's Recent Animal Cruelty History
Pierce County has seen several major animal cruelty probes in recent years, including a widely covered 2019 case in which deputies seized dozens of dogs from a suspected fighting and breeding operation. Those investigations highlight how tips, video evidence and animal control work can grow into criminal cases and long-running enforcement efforts. Earlier coverage of that seizure and similar cases is available from outlets such as KIRO-TV.
In the current case, prosecutors say the charging documents lean heavily on the security footage and witness accounts, and The News Tribune reports that investigators received links to the recordings and a post-incident interview from the facility's manager. The May 5 hearing at Pierce County Superior Court is expected to be the next key moment in how the allegations against the trainer unfold.
