Sep 3, 2026

Boulder's Aggressive Animal Court Process, and Its Stated Goal

A court that says out loud what it is trying to achieve, a list of approved behaviourists, and one booking phrase that can halve your court appearances.

Luis ZamoraCo-founder of PetCompass; Dog Dad to Banzo and Tuck

Boulder, Colorado9 min readPet Care & Services

Most cities do not tell you what their court is trying to achieve when your dog is accused of aggression. Boulder does, in one sentence, on a public page.

Verbatim from the Boulder Municipal Court's aggressive animal cases page:

"The goal of the Boulder Municipal Court in aggressive animal cases is for your dog to live out its natural life with safety to people in the community and their pets."

"Live out its natural life." That is an unusually explicit commitment for a court page, and it sets the tone for a process built around behavioural evaluation rather than around a decision about the dog's existence.

Here is how that process runs, what it costs you in court appearances, and the one thing you can do early to shorten it.

What happens after a guilty finding

Verbatim:

"If you plead guilty or are found guilty at trial, you will be referred for an aggressive animal evaluation at one of the court-approved locations. The evaluator will prepare a report for use in court that will have recommendations for management strategies to prevent any future aggression incidents and any training that might help. The court-approved evaluators are either Animal Behaviorists or Veterinary Behaviorists."

Three things in that paragraph.

An evaluation is the standard consequence, not an optional extra.

The report is forward-looking, aimed at management strategies and training rather than at establishing what happened.

And the evaluator must be a behaviourist, of one of two specific kinds.

The move that saves you a court appearance

This is the most practically useful part of the page, and it is easy to miss. Verbatim:

"Aggressive animal evaluations can be done before you decide whether to plead guilty or not guilty. To prevent future aggressive animal violations, and perhaps limit the number of times you need to come to court (these cases currently require two mandatory court appearances), we urge you to get the evaluation done before your court date. If you do, please indicate that you are requesting a court-ordered evaluation. That way, the animal behaviorist will contact the court for a copy of the court paperwork."

And the payoff, verbatim: "Engaging in this process is likely to result in the need to appear in court only once."

Two mandatory appearances is the default. One is achievable if you get the evaluation done first.

And the phrasing matters when you book. Tell the provider you are requesting a court-ordered evaluation, so they contact the court for the paperwork.

The approved providers, as the court lists them

The court publishes the list, and using someone else is a wasted expense. Verbatim on that point:

"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."

Veterinary Behaviorists (DVM)

Provider	Contact
The Veterinary Behavior Center	Dr. Ariel Fagen, DVM, 303-536-1802

Animal Behaviorists (CBCC-KA)

Provider	Contact
Humane Society of Boulder Valley	Anita Hurley, Allison Hartage, 303-442-4030
Complete K-9, Fort Collins	Ashley Foster, 720-222-6942
Canine Education Center	Camille King, PhD, 970-292-8604
Art and Science Behavior Service, LLC	Elisheba Fay, 720-441-3848

On booking through the Humane Society, the court's note is worth repeating, verbatim: "303-442-4030 (please specify this is a court-ordered evaluation)."

Court contact: Boulder Municipal Court, 303-441-1841, 1777 6th Street, Boulder, CO 80302.

One of those providers is also the organisation that takes impounded animals in this county, at 2323 55th Street, which our lost dog in Boulder guide covers. And one is the city's in-person dog licensing desk, per our Boulder dog licence guide. Boulder's animal services are unusually concentrated in one building, which is convenient and worth knowing when you are booking.

Behaviourist or trainer, and why the court cares

The distinction is not pedantry here, it is the difference between an accepted report and a rejected one. The court explains both terms in its own words.

Animal behaviourist, verbatim: "Animal behaviorists are people who love animals and study them to learn and understand animal behavior". The court's sentence continues, explaining that they study why animals do things and act in certain ways; we have trimmed the quotation at that point because the punctuation the page uses is a dash our house style does not print. Then, verbatim: "They look at the animal's environment and try to find what caused the behavior."

And the correction it clearly has to make often, verbatim: "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 behaviourist, verbatim: "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."

So a veterinary behaviourist can consider whether pain or illness is driving the behaviour, and can prescribe. If your dog's aggression appeared suddenly in middle age, that distinction is the one to think about.

Our how to choose a dog trainer guide covers the wider question of finding help, and the city's own trainer-vetting questions are covered in our dog training for voice and sight control guide.

How a case gets here in the first place

Two routes, both covered elsewhere in our Boulder guides.

A bite. Boulder County requires a report and a ten-day observation period, verbatim from its animal protection page: "Dogs, cats, and ferrets involved in a biting incident must be confined to the owner's or keeper's premises, a veterinarian's office, or the Humane Society for a ten-day observation period." Our dog bites in Boulder guide covers the reporting duty and the numbers.

An off-leash or voice and sight violation involving aggression. The city's Voice and Sight programme lists aggression toward people and dogs among its infractions, and its penalty page states, verbatim, that courts "may impose conditions that require attendance at the education class related to voice and sight control, evaluation or training of the dog, or temporary suspension or permanent revocation of voice and sight control privileges for egregious violations or repeat offenders."

So the evaluation appears in both tracks, and in the voice and sight track it sits alongside a possible loss of off-leash privileges. Our Voice and Sight Tag Program guide covers the full ladder.

Enforcement on the city side comes from Animal Protection, a division of the Boulder Police Department, whose officers the city describes as promoting "responsible pet guardianship through education, mediation, and enforcement."

Why an evaluation is worth having even without a case

Two reasons that hold whether or not you are in front of a judge.

It answers a question a trainer usually cannot. The court's own distinction is that a veterinary behaviourist can consider medical causes and prescribe, while an animal behaviourist studies the behaviour and its environment. A dog whose tolerance dropped over a season may be in pain rather than badly behaved, and that is a diagnosis rather than a training problem.

And it produces a written management plan. The report the court asks for contains, in its words, "recommendations for management strategies to prevent any future aggression incidents and any training that might help". That is a useful document to own even if no court ever reads it, because it converts a vague worry into specific instructions for the people who handle your dog.

One caution about expectations. None of this is a guarantee about outcomes. The court states its goal, and a goal is not a promise. What the process does offer is a route that treats the dog as a manageable problem rather than a disposable one, and a set of providers the court will actually accept.

If you are choosing help outside a court process, our how to choose a dog trainer guide covers what to ask, and our dog separation anxiety guide covers one of the commonest underlying drivers of trouble at home.

What to do if you are facing a case

Book an approved evaluator before your first court date, and say you are requesting a court-ordered evaluation. On the court's own account, that is what makes one appearance instead of two likely.

Pick the right kind of evaluator for your dog. If there is any chance pain, illness or medication is contributing, a veterinary behaviourist can assess and prescribe. Otherwise either category is accepted.

Do not use an unapproved provider, however good they are. The court says the judge is likely to require a new evaluation from an approved one.

Bring the paperwork. Rabies certificate, licence details, and any veterinary history relevant to behaviour.

And take the recommendations seriously. The report is written to prevent the next incident, and the court's stated goal is a dog that lives out its natural life. The recommendations are the mechanism for that, not a formality.

Frequently asked questions

What is Boulder's stated goal in aggressive animal cases? The Boulder Municipal Court states that its goal is for your dog to live out its natural life with safety to people in the community and their pets.

What happens if I plead guilty in an aggressive animal case? You will be referred for an aggressive animal evaluation at a court-approved location. The evaluator prepares a report for the court with recommendations for management strategies and any training that might help.

Can I get the evaluation done before my court date? Yes, and the court urges it. It states that these cases currently require two mandatory court appearances and that engaging in the process early is likely to result in the need to appear only once.

How should I book the evaluation? Tell the provider you are requesting a court-ordered evaluation, so the behaviourist contacts the court for a copy of the court paperwork.

Can I use my own trainer or behaviourist? No. The court requires an approved provider and warns that if you use a non-approved one, there is a good chance the judge will require a new evaluation from an approved provider.

Who are the approved providers? The Veterinary Behavior Center (Dr. Ariel Fagen, DVM) as a veterinary behaviourist, and as animal behaviourists the Humane Society of Boulder Valley, Complete K-9 in Fort Collins, Canine Education Center and Art and Science Behavior Service LLC.

Sources

Court processes and provider lists change. Confirm with Boulder Municipal Court on 303-441-1841 before relying on any detail here, and take legal advice for a serious case.