Short Leash: Dog Bites Are on the Rise in Denver

Is Denver going to the dogs? This city has more pet pooches than it does kids, and that raises a number of issues, as we're exploring in a week-long series. Here's the next installment:

I’m sitting in the grass at Cheesman Park with a few friends when a dog runs up to us. “Aw, hi,” one of my friends coos, reaching out to pet the panting pup invading our personal space. My other friends are smiling, but I feel like I’ve been hit in the chest. I like dogs, and this one looks friendly, but dogs running up to me triggers a freeze response. The kind that courses cold through your entire body and makes you want to evaporate.

I didn’t use to be like this. I grew up with dogs — they made home feel like home. So naturally, I got my own dog at the age of 21, about four months into my first full-time job.

Sage is a scrappy boxer-chihuahua-looking mutt I adopted for $10 from a county shelter that was trying to clear out as many pets as possible before Hurricane Irma struck central Florida. Sage is riddled with separation anxiety and is probably the most stubborn animal I’ve ever met, but she’s been my companion through my weird time working in a retirement community in Florida, a global pandemic and a cross-country move. She’s been my friend when I had none, and the reason I get out of bed on hard days.

But I don’t know if I’ll ever want to be a dog-owner again after Sage dies. Ironically, moving to dog-mecca Denver is the reason for that.

Five days after I arrived in the Mile High City, I put Sage on her leash and grabbed some empty boxes to take to the dumpster at the random Harvey Park-area apartment complex that had accepted my application from Florida. About ten feet from the dumpster, I looked over my armful of boxes to see two medium-large dogs pull out of their harnesses and run at Sage and me, their owner trailing behind. The dogs knocked into me, scattering boxes everywhere, and the ground became a blur of teeth, fur and shrieking barks.

Sage was much smaller than the other two dogs, so I did the only thing I could think of and bent down and picked her up, hoping the dogs would chill out and let me get away. But I just became their new target, and the dogs scratched me, bit me and pulled at my clothes, desperate to get Sage. I was stunned. When their owner finally got her dogs off me, I was crying and visibly bleeding. She turned away with a quick “sorry!” and led the dogs away. What kind of place is this? I thought.

My dog came out of the attack physically unscathed, but I had to go to Urgent Care for a huge bite on my hand and a tetanus shot.

Four months later, I was taking Sage out before bed when we rounded a corner and came across a huge unleashed dog. Sensing what would happen, I picked up Sage and tried to run away, but the dog bounded after me, jumped up on its hind legs, pinned me against a wall, and started scratching and trying to bite my throat. All I could do was scream.

Thankfully, the owner showed up and grabbed her dog; she apologized and asked if I was okay. Ashamed and very scratched and bruised, I just nodded and made my way back to my apartment, where I fell asleep and had terrifying dreams about dogs.

The next day, I decided to leave that apartment complex: If I’d been attacked by dogs twice in four months, it was bound to happen again, and I likely wouldn’t be so lucky the next time. So I reported it all to the management, gave a month’s notice, broke my lease (the resulting collections balance still haunts me) and moved to Capitol Hill.

Cap Hill is a neighborhood full of dogs and their millennial “parents” (sorry, but I cringe hard when people say they’re a “dog mom,” or whatever). The dogs are generally friendly and well-trained, and I have never been attacked here. But I am rarely able to enjoy some of the pleasures that other Denver dog owners do.

Sage was decently socialized and got along with other dogs well enough before the attacks. But after them, she sees every single dog — friendly or not — as a threat. I can walk her only at weird hours and have to be on high alert when I do, picking her up if I see another dog, even a block away. She can no longer go to dog parks. In fact, she can’t go to any parks. Certainly not Cheesman, where there is always a tornado of off-leash dogs running around in the center of the park and at least one rogue dog dashing around and ignoring the owner who is calling and chasing after it.

Off-leashing in Denver is illegal, but you wouldn't know it. Between January 1, 2024, and May 20, 2025, Denver Animal Protection issued 551 tickets for off-leashing. That doesn't seem like a lot, but DAP tickets everywhere in Denver except where dogs mostly are: parks.
Denver's Parks & Recreation Department tickets people for off-leashing at Denver parks, but the department did not respond to my request for off-leash ticketing stats before deadline. If I had to guess, the department could easily issue 551 off-leashing tickets in a day at parks around the city.

I get it, those dogs at Cheesman Park seem like fluffy prancing balls of sunshine. How could they ever do anything bad? But I’ve experienced what dogs are capable of. They’re extremely strong, stronger than you. And they have really sharp nails and teeth.

I know a lot of people in this city see their four-legged friends as their children. But in the end, they’re animals, and you never really know what an animal is going to do. But you can look for warning signs. According to Josh Rolfe with Denver Animal Protection, watch for growling, snarling, cowering, hair on the back of the neck raised, lip licking, a raised lip or possessiveness around food or toys.

If a dog starts attacking you, stay calm and do not run (easier said than done). “Running could trigger a prey/predator response from the dog and make the situation worse,” Rolfe says. “Slowly move away from the dog either sideways or backwards. Use strong verbal commands. If possible, put an object between you and the dog. Stay on your feet and get in the fetal position to protect vital organs if you are knocked down.”

For owners socializing their pets, he advises introducing dogs to various stimuli in a well-controlled environment and not all at once. As for people with aggressive dogs: “Always keep your pet leashed. Stay in tune with your dog and recognize body language when something appears to be stressful to your pet. Ensure proper socialization and don’t assume your dog is going to be fine because they’ve never had a problem. Training, socialization and controlling the environments you put your dog in are all important factors.”

Not wanting to get police involved, I never reported my dog attacks. I’m sure there are other people who get attacked and also don’t report it. Even so, instances of reported dog bites in Denver have been steadily increasing since 2018, when the city started publicly tracking the data. There were 813 reported dog bites in 2021, the year I moved here. In 2024, there were 1,223.

Dogs make Denver the city it is. They are a huge part of the culture here, and I still love seeing them everywhere I go — on a leash.