Washoe County, Nevada Humane Society adopt shared protocol to keep dangerous dogs out of the community

Behavior consultants for Washoe County and the Nevada Humane Society presented a joint dog-behavior protocol on May 16 that outlines how both organizations will identify dogs with dangerous levels of aggressive behavior and set euthanasia as the humane outcome when public safety and animal welfare require it.

Kelly Bolen, the county-contracted behavior consultant, said the document is intended to create shared, objective standards for assessing risk and to avoid returning dogs to the community when they pose a danger. "Dangerous dogs should not be returned to the community," Bolen told the advisory board. "This shelter recognizes that dogs that exhibit dangerous levels of aggressive behavior to humans and other animals must not be made available for adoption or rescue, but must be humanely…