It was supposed to be one of those feel-good segments on a local television newscast: A rescued dog. A grateful owner. The hero firefighter who pulled the pulled the dog from the ice. But that's not how it turned out.
The dog, an Argentine mastiff named Gladiator Maximus, attacked Kyle Dyer, anchorwoman at NBC's KUSA Denver affiliate, during a live, in-studio segment on Wednesday that was meant to celebrate the dog's rescue from an icy lake the day before.
Dyer was shown petting the mastiff during the segment, then kneeling on the floor to get closer, when the 85-pound pooch bit her in the face. Paramedics and animal control were called to the studio. Dyer was rushed to a Denver hospital where she had reconstructive surgery overnight. The 3-year-old dog was taken to a Denver animal shelter where it is being "quarantined."
Video of the attack, as you might imagine, has gone viral, but KUSA has been issuing take-down notices, trying to get the clip off the Internet. (The "Today" show won't even show it.)
Patti Dennis, KUSA vice president of news, said Dyer's surgery was successful, and that Dyer is expected back to work in a few weeks. "The surgeon was pleased with the outcome," Dennis said. "Kyle says she wants everyone to know she is OK and is concerned about the viewers who were watching the incident live on TV."
"Several people interacted with the dog [prior to the segment] and everything seemed fine," Dennis said. "Then at the last moment, the dog had behavior that nobody predicted or understood. Clearly we learned something."
The dog, an Argentine mastiff named Gladiator Maximus, attacked Kyle Dyer, anchorwoman at NBC's KUSA Denver affiliate, during a live, in-studio segment on Wednesday that was meant to celebrate the dog's rescue from an icy lake the day before.
Dyer was shown petting the mastiff during the segment, then kneeling on the floor to get closer, when the 85-pound pooch bit her in the face. Paramedics and animal control were called to the studio. Dyer was rushed to a Denver hospital where she had reconstructive surgery overnight. The 3-year-old dog was taken to a Denver animal shelter where it is being "quarantined."
Video of the attack, as you might imagine, has gone viral, but KUSA has been issuing take-down notices, trying to get the clip off the Internet. (The "Today" show won't even show it.)
Patti Dennis, KUSA vice president of news, said Dyer's surgery was successful, and that Dyer is expected back to work in a few weeks. "The surgeon was pleased with the outcome," Dennis said. "Kyle says she wants everyone to know she is OK and is concerned about the viewers who were watching the incident live on TV."
"Several people interacted with the dog [prior to the segment] and everything seemed fine," Dennis said. "Then at the last moment, the dog had behavior that nobody predicted or understood. Clearly we learned something."
