Aggressive Animal Cases

You can get your evaluation done with one of the approved providers include on this web page.

You are free to schedule or even complete your evaluation before your first court date. Be sure to tell the provider that you need a court-ordered evaluation.

No, the court requires you to get it done by one of the court-approved providers. The designated providers are either animal behaviorists or veterinary behaviorists. These providers have additional training and certification that most people who work with animals do not have. If you get your evaluation done by a non-approved provider, there is a good chance the judge will require you to get a new evaluation from an approved provider.

Animal behaviorists are people who love animals and study them to learn and understand animal behavior – why they do things and act in certain ways. They look at the animal’s environment and try to find what caused the behavior. One mistaken belief some pet owners have is that a good dog trainer is also an animal behaviorist and vice versa. That may be true for some trainers and animal behaviorists, but not usually. Animal behaviorists have additional training and certifications that most animal trainers do not.

Veterinary Behaviorists are trained and licensed to diagnose and treat problems in animals, whether they are medical or behavioral. Being veterinarians, these behaviorists can understand medical problems that may be contributing to the behavioral problem of the animal. A veterinary behaviorist is licensed to prescribe drugs and is familiar with psychotropic medications such as anti-anxiety medications.