Also called: Facility Dog Handler (Victim Services), Courthouse Dog Handler
A victim advocate who works alongside a specially trained dog that calms children and crime victims during interviews and court testimony.
She and her golden retriever, Jett, meet a seven-year-old before a forensic interview, and Jett lies at the boy's feet while he talks. In the afternoon Jett sits quietly beside the witness stand while a teen testifies. At 5 p.m. Jett goes home with her as a pet.
Estimate; usually staff of prosecutor offices or child advocacy centers.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 5 years after high school. Bachelor's in social work, psychology or criminal justice; the dog comes from an accredited assistance dog group that trains the handler.
Ways in: 4-year college, Certification. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Social Work, Psychology, Criminal Justice.
Growing faster than average. Facility dog programs are spreading; hundreds of US justice agencies now use them.
Low risk for 10 years. Scheduling software helps, but comforting victims with a trained dog is human (and canine) work.
Classes: Psychology, Animal science (FFA), English.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.