Jay Wayne Swearingen has lived in Colorado for most of his life and received his Doctor of Jurisprudence Degree from the University of Denver Law School in 1972.   His legal background includes serving as house counsel for the Colorado Association of School Boards, as well as being  a partner in the private-practice law firm of Miller and Swearingen, and being a solo practitioner.  His areas of expertise include Civil Rights, along with Municipal, Public Sector, Education and Administrative Law.

Jay’s life-long interest in animals began with his horse, cats, pigeons and a Bantam rooster he owned as a child, and he has since raised and trained seven German Shepherds who have earned various American Kennel Club and Schutzhund titles.  He has served as a past President of the Western America Region of the Deutscher Verband der Gebrauchshundsportvereine  (a German dog sport organization), and remains a founding member of Centennial Schutzhund club begun in 1980.  He has held the positions of President, Vice President and Training Director and  has helped train, test, and evaluate nearly 1,000 working and sport dogs for club members and the general public.  The club offers membership to both private individuals and police officers.
 
At the Animal Law Center, Jay works closely with clients on a wide variety of cases and is involved in issues that range from preserving owners’ rights and preventing animal cruelty, to facilitating pet-custody agreements, and fighting breed-specific legislation.  Jay is a passionate advocate for working and service dogs and their owners.