Denver TV anchor bitten by rescued dog
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All in all, it has been a rough few days for Gladiator Max, an 85-pound Argentine Mastiff in Colorado — but maybe rougher yet for Denver TV news anchor Kyle Dyer, who Max bit during a Wednesday interview about the dog’s icy rescue.
Dyer was interviewing the dog, his owner, and the firefighter who rescued him from an icy pond Tuesday — all of whom had been invited to the offices of 9 News in Denver. Max had shown no aggression — not during the rescue and not during the studio interview.
But when Dyer got too close, Max bit her in the face. She was taken to Denver Health Medical Center, where she was listed in fair condition, according to 9NEWS.
The incident aired live, but the station is not reshowing video of the bite.
Doug Kelley, the director of Denver Animal Care and Control, said Max’s owner will be cited — for the bite, for the leash law violation, and for not having Max vaccinated against rabies.
The dog is being held at the Denver Animal Shelter and will be quarantined for 10 days, according to Kelley.
The studio interview was for a follow up story on Max’s rescue Tuesday evening. Max chased a coyote onto the ice of Smith Reservoir and fell through, according to 9 News in its initial report.
The dog spent 20 minutes in the freezing water before firefighters arrived. Firefighter Tyler Sugaski fell through the ice on his way to Max, swimming the rest of the way to grab him.
“The dog recognized right off that I was there to help, so he came towards me,” Sugaski recalled.
Other than some scrapes from the ice, the dog appeared fine and was taken into an ambulance to be warmed up.
“He’s just a rock solid dog,” said his owner, Michael Robinson.
Posted by jwoestendiek February 9th, 2012 under Muttsblog, videos.
Tags: 9 News, anchor, anchorperson, anchorwoman, animal control, animals, argentine mastiff, bite, bitten, cited, denver, dogs, firefighter, gladiator max, ice, Kyle Dyer, max, news, owner, pets, pond, rabies, rescued, vaccination
Comments
Comment from Eloise Christiansen
Time February 9, 2012 at 9:23 am
OH YES–I AM SOOO HAPPY TO HEAR THE DOG WILL BE RETURNED TO THE OWNER AFTER THE 10 DAY PERIOD!!
Comment from Anonymous
Time February 9, 2012 at 9:36 am
This probably sounds bad to some people. I apologize if it hurt anyone. I don’t mean any harm to anyone.
Comment from Love
Time February 9, 2012 at 3:47 pm
Rule #1, donot put your face in a dogs face if its not yours….Why would she do that?
Comment from Tina
Time February 9, 2012 at 6:57 pm
I’m glad they’re dealing with this logically and as a learning opportunity.
There are so many variables in this one – the stress of the rescue, a new situation, cameras, people, lights, possibly perfumes or other ‘new’ smells, etc. etc. etc.
I’m glad they didn’t label the dog as “bad” right off the bat – especially considering his looks alone could get him banned from some cities.
I’m also glad everyone is recovering well from the incident.
Comment from Jill
Time February 9, 2012 at 7:46 pm
How can they cite the dog for a leash? He was wearing one.
Comment from Dia
Time February 10, 2012 at 2:33 pm
When I am perfect I will become more judgemental. In the meantime, I am sure everyone involved is sorry, embarrassed and wishes they could change things. I hope that people can have compassion for both individuals. Mistakes happen. I am sure many people have learned something from this and will tell their children, to save them from a similar experience.
Comment from Eloise Christiansen
Time February 9, 2012 at 9:22 am
Ha there anchor lady–didn’t your parents teach you anything about getting close to animals that you don’t know?? I LOVE ANIMALS–I’m still careful around those I don’t know!! This dog DOES NOT LOOK harmful to anyone!! I was told by my parents A LONG time ago. Sounds like someone needs to read up on some things!!