Pit Bull Bites Lead All Breeds in Denver’s First Year After Ban Repeal

Denver Animal Protection recorded 117 pit bull bites in 2021, more than any other breed in the city, according to data reported by Axios Denver ^[1]. The figure marks the first full-year accounting of pit bull incidents since the city lifted its breed-specific ban, making 2021 a baseline year with limited precedent for comparison ^[1].

Denver voters repealed the city's pit bull prohibition in November 2020, a measure that overrode Mayor Michael Hancock's veto of an earlier Denver City Council action. The original ordinance banning pit bull ownership had been enacted in 1989 following a series of attacks on city residents. The 2020 ballot measure, Ballot Measure 2J, passed with 66 percent of the vote and requires owners of dogs displaying traits of American pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, or Staffordshire bull terriers to obtain a breed assessment and a permit.

The 117 pit bull bites identified by Denver Animal Protection cover all three breeds recognized under city ordinance: the American pit bull terrier, the American Staffordshire terrier, and the Staffordshire bull terrier. Of those bites, 10 were reported on young children, according to agency spokesperson Tammy Vigil. By comparison, Labrador retrievers accounted for 54 reported bites and German shepherds for 61. Denver Animal Protection recorded 804 total animal bites in 2021, of which 695 involved dogs and 109 involved cats.

Pit bulls also led all breeds in multiple-bite injuries, classified as Level 5 offenses on the Ian Dunbar Dog Bite Scale, with 3 percent of pit bull bites reaching that severity. Vigil cautioned against broad conclusions, telling Axios Denver that, because pit bulls were not legal in the city until 2021, the data should be treated as a baseline rather than a basis for extrapolation.

Under Denver municipal code, owners of any breed face criminal summons carrying a penalty of up to $999 and up to 300 days in jail for bite incidents, and courts may order animals surrendered in certain circumstances. Vigil also noted that dogs are not euthanized solely because a bite is on record, particularly where the incident was provoked or relatively minor. Proponents of the 2020 legalization disputed the data's framing, with Denver City Council member Chris Herndon telling Axios Denver that combining three distinct breeds into a single dataset and comparing that combined figure against a single breed is not a fair methodology.

The 2021 numbers carry direct legal and policy significance. Pit bull bite claims in Colorado are governed by the state's strict-liability dog bite statute, under which an owner may be held liable regardless of the animal's prior history or the owner's knowledge of any dangerous propensity. The emerging bite data, drawn from the city's first full year of legalized ownership, is likely to surface in civil litigation and future regulatory proceedings as both sides argue the public-safety implications of Denver's breed-restricted permit system.

References

[1] Axios Denver. (2022, January 05). Pit bull bites in Denver outnumber those of any other breed. https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2022/01/05/pit-bull-bites-denver-outnumber-breeds

[2] NBC News. (2020, November 06). Denver overturns pit bull ban after more than 30 years. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/animal-news/denver-overturns-pit-bull-ban-after-more-30-years-n1246709

[3] Colorado Sun. (2025, October 06). Are pit bulls legal to own in Denver? https://coloradosun.com/2025/10/06/are-pit-bulls-legal-to-own-in-denver/