Tacoma Humane Society CEO departs after shelter dog killed poodle at city marathon
May 21, 2026, 2:12 PM | Updated: 2:14 pm
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
The CEO of the Tacoma Humane Society (THS) has parted ways with the organization weeks after a shelter dog killed a community member’s poodle during the Tacoma City Marathon.
The Board of Directors for THS announced Leslie Dalzell’s departure on Wednesday with the following statement, obtained by KIRO 7:
During this transition, the Board of Directors will assume leadership responsibilities to ensure continuity of operations and uninterrupted service to the animals and families we serve. Tacoma Humane’s commitment to long-term sustainability, operational excellence, and community-centered services remains unchanged. To support this important next step, Tacoma Humane has engaged Peregrine Team, a national executive search and leadership consulting firm, to assist in identifying the strongest candidates to lead the organization forward.
The Board of Directors and the entire Tacoma Humane team remain dedicated to helping animals across Pierce County find loving homes and to supporting the people who love them. Additional updates will be shared in the coming weeks.”
‘They got 2 dogs killed’: Tacoma Humane Society dog fatally attacks poodle after marathon
On May 3, Paul Baek had just finished the half-marathon when his 10-year-old toy poodle, Brownie, was fatally attacked by a larger dog, Dallas.
The attacking dog was a pitbull mix and was humanely euthanized shortly after the fatal attack, according to agency records obtained by The Tacoma News Tribune. THS previously said in a statement that it would conduct a complete internal review of its protocols.
Baek questioned why the dog was allowed at the event, particularly without a muzzle, with children and other pets after it had been given to the shelter just two days prior.
THS noted the shelter is “so deeply sorry” for the “tragic” event, which led to the death of a community member’s dog.
“We are in close contact with the affected family, as well as staff, volunteers, and event organizers, and will continue to provide support during this difficult time,” THS stated.
THS had offered to cover the costs of Brownie’s cremation, but Baek denied the gesture, requesting systemic changes within the agency.
The humane society also said it is accepting full responsibility for “understanding how this happened,” and would address any deficiencies in its processes, oversight, or safeguards.
“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,” THS stated.
The dog at fault was classified as dangerous after a preliminary review was conducted with local Animal Control, according to KING 5.
THS also said it will evaluate its event protocols, including how animals are selected and supervised while at off-site events.
Fellow runner says the attack was ‘completely preventable’
Another participant in the half-marathon, Alexis Drugge, raised concerns on social media in an expansive, multi-part video explanation of the attack and her reaction to what transpired.
Drugge didn’t witness the attack, but her family did. Drugge and her fiancé aided the THS volunteer with corralling Dallas, and ultimately left the park to meet with the volunteer at the THS facility.
“She was standing there completely lost and traumatized, shaking, not sure what to do with the dog,” Drugge told The Tacoma News Tribune.
Drugge believed that the THS volunteer didn’t possess the necessary training to handle the dog at the marathon, and Dallas shouldn’t have been at the event altogether.
“I believe they are too big of an organization to be operating with such negligence,” she said. “This could have been completely prevented.”
Drugge noted that Dallas was wearing a vest that advertised the dog was up for adoption. A THS spokesperson confirmed the marathon was not an adoption event, but attendees could meet with dogs and follow up at the shelter.
Drugge stated that she felt THS was being dismissive about the attack and had appeared to deflect accountability when she spoke with staff, according to The Tacoma News Tribune.
“The Humane Society is supposed to be saving dogs, but they got two dogs killed,” she said.
Tacoma Humane Society faces pattern of community complaints
Among 145 reviews of THS on Yelp, an overwhelming majority handed the animal facility one star, citing several factors, including euthanizing a dog too early, failing to warn adopters about a dog’s prior behavioral issues, and refusing to accept cats, later telling donors to “dump” them.
One review from Wayne in Seattle, submitted in February, said THS found an abandoned dog named Filbert at Wapato Park. When Wayne went to the center to adopt Filbert, he found his crate was empty.
“I asked a staff member, who told me he was euthanized. It was obvious this dog’s owner did not care for him and then dumped him,” Wayne stated. “The shelter, a place where we take animals to be nurtured back to health, killed him in less than two weeks. Not even giving him time to decompress and acclimate. I was horrified […] I am learning this is not a one-off and that this is happening regularly.”
THS responded to Wayne, stating that the center’s decision “was not made lightly,” and that each case requires a process reviewed by a committee of professionals who discuss the animal’s complete history and then make a decision.
Vivienne in Redmond submitted a review in late 2025, saying she adopted a pitbull from the facility, and was not provided proper information about its “extreme safety issues.”
“The person assisting me with the adoption explained he had ‘minimal’ behavioral issues,” Vivienne stated. “Within 12 hours, the dog had bitten me and attempted to attack three people without warning. Upon talking with the vet tech, he has attacked several people and had ‘extreme safety issues,’ and I should have been briefed on his behavior before he was adopted, which was NOT something that happened.”
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THS donor told to ‘dump’ abandoned cat, cited expensive adoption costs
M B. in Tacoma stated that they will “continue rating 1 star until [THS] proves it cares about abandoned cats,” after an appointment was made with the facility, and they were told to “dump” the cat altogether.
“A few months ago, we tried to take a cat in that was dumped, made an appointment, and [THS] made us wait another 45 minutes just to tell us they won’t take healthy cats. Wasted my whole day,” M B. stated. “Then had the nerve to tell us to just dump it! Pissed [THS] told us to dump it.”
THS responded to M B.’s incident, noting that two of the cats were not euthanized, but had died while in the care of a “very experienced and compassionate” foster home, while the third is “still fighting.”
Despite the response, M B. stated, “THS still needs to do better,” and disagreed with a specific policy that they believe is a deterrent to donors with cats.
“The fact that you no longer help this HUGE population [of cats] because you can’t monetize on feral, abandoned, or homeless cats is disgusting,” M B. replied. “You want people to PAY YOU $400 per cat to bring them to you, so they don’t.”
THS noted it cares for roughly 10,000 pets annually, and reunites thousands of lost pets with their owners, provides medical treatment for sick and injured shelter pets, and provides low-cost spay-neuter programs.
The Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County has a 2.8-star rating on Yelp as of this reporting.
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