Arizona statute
A.R.S. § 13-4442 — Use of a facility dog in court proceedings; definition
Current through 57th Legislature, 1st Regular Session (2025)
Part of Chapter 40: Crime Victims' Rights, Arizona Revised Statutes.
Full text of A.R.S. § 13-4442
Statutory text current through the 57th Legislature, 1st Regular Session (2025). This publication reproduces the official statutory text published by the Arizona Legislature (Arizona Legislative Council compilation, azleg.gov); it is not the official statutes of the State of Arizona.
A. The court shall allow a victim who is under eighteen years of age to have a facility dog, if available, accompany the victim while testifying in court. A party seeking the use of a facility dog must file a notice with the court that includes the certification of the facility dog, the name of the person or entity who certified the dog and evidence that the facility dog is insured.
B. The court may allow a victim who is eighteen years of age or more or a witness to use a facility dog.
C. To ensure that the presence of a facility dog assisting a victim or a witness does not influence the jury or is not a reflection on the truthfulness of any testimony that is offered by the victim or witness, the court shall instruct the jury on the role of the facility dog and that the facility dog is a trained animal.
D. For the purposes of this section, "facility dog" means a dog that is a graduate of an assistance dog organization that is a member of an organization or entity whose main purpose is to improve the areas of training, placement and utilization of assistance dogs, staff and volunteer education and to establish and promote standards of excellence in all areas of assistance dog acquisition, training and partnership.
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This reference is informational and is not legal advice.