Rescued dog bites TV anchor {Warning: video of bite}

[Britster]

Did you guys see this?

Sad situation all around.

Rescued dog bites TV anchor during broadcast

NEW! DOG(Argentine Mastiff) BITES KYLE DYER ON...

I really hope the dog does not get put at fault for this. First off, owner is number one to blame... this all could have been solved by not having the dog off leash in the first place and allowing him to chase a coyote or whatever and get himself in the terrible situation he was in.

Second, I feel terrible for the anchor, but I am pretty sure we all learned as children NOT to get up in a dogs face? She was overly in his face - and because this dog was only being held by his collar, and not much room, he couldn't go anywhere else. You see him turn his head away, trying to avoid, and he finally gave her a warning snap. If he really wanted to do serious damage, he easily could have, but instead he just gave a warning snap - he did not continue to hold on, or re-direct to anyone else, so I really don't think this dog is aggressive enough to be put down or anything. Besides the fact that he had just been through a traumatic experience 24 hours prior and then being put into a stressful situation (a TV station).

Is it the dog's fault? He's a DOG.... He did what his nature and his training told him to do. He's a Dogo Argentino . . . protective by nature, stressed out and crowded. I don't blame the anchor either. She probably doesn't know dogs and she certainly didn't know this breed, and she was probably counting on the owner to handle the dog.

Anyways I hope all goes well for all involved and lessons were learned. Maybe they can do a segment on dog body language because I think WAY too many people are willing to get into dogs faces or let their children rush up to unknown dogs, and it's not always safe! Even the friendliest dog can snap in weird circumstances.

Also, yet again, a dog that is being called a Pit Bull in many comments and articles, that is not ANYTHING related to a Pittie... he's a Mastiff-type breed. But because he looks like he could be mixed with pittie, I am SURE it will continue to come up, esp. since this happened in Denver, where a BSL law is in place.

[carmen in nj]

yes I saw it in the news is really horrible.. poor lady , and hopefullly they will understand that is NoT the dog's fault..
hugs,

[Nancy1999]

This is so sad, I read that she really loves animals, but sometimes I don't think we understand we should respect animals. Going into his face like that was just too much.

[Princess10]

It's sad for sure, and yes, I remember learning as a kid to not get in a dogs face.
I don't think the lady deserved it by any means, but it says she does an animal bit weekly, it seems she'd know that 'rule'. I don't know why she'd put herself in that situation. My guess is she got caught in the moment of compassion for the pup & let her "instincts" slide by.
Very sad still. I hope there's a good outcome for both of them. As to why the dog wasn't leashed I really can't understand that at all.

[Wylie's Mom]

I saw this yesterday on TV...somewhere, and felt so sad about how this happened. I feel terrible for the anchor - she clearly loves animals and does so much for them; she trusted the dog was comfortable and got too close to his face. So tragic, but I agree with those who say you can't fault the dog. Unless the owners had previous knowledge about biting -- then, they would be careless in allowing the anchor to get in the dog's face.

Like Brit, I've always been anti BSL, and I truly hope this story doesn't get swept away by incorrect information .

I hope the anchor heals physically and emotionally.

[CouversMom]

Oh geez, I feel bad for the anchor, but it was very obvious to me that he was not comfortable. I don't know why you would put your face near a strange dog's mouth for any reason. I don't think she's to blame, but it definitely was NOT the dog's fault.

[beecee]

I feel bad for her but I don't at the same time. It's been said, but I'll say it again....NEVER put your face in a strange dogs face, more so if that dog is stressed and feels cornered.
My rottie I had in my 20's bit my ex's fathers face under the same circumstance. I could see it coming a mile away when it happened. The push backed ears, the bulging eyes, the hunched back.

It's just silly to do so.

[Maximo]

This is sad, and I agree, I hope the dog isn't blamed. I know the woman was giving the dog some lovin, but this is dangerous, even with our own little yorkies. I do it all the time with my guys, but I would never do it with anyone else's dog.

The dog was probably stressed being in the studio and in a strange situation. My vet chastised me for doing something similar with Teddy when he was having shots done. At home, it is calming for Teddy, but at the vet's office, it could be very different.

[Sami_girl]

I want to watch but am scared too. Poor lady.

[KazzyK810]

I saw this clip on the news yesterday. She was ALL OVER HIS FACE with her hands and then put her face right in his. Crazy what people do with strange dogs.

I was at a renaissance festival with ZoE last summer and a lady was behind us with a little boy about 4 or 5 and a baby (infant). The boy was talking to ZoE and stepped down onto the stand I was sitting on and asked if he could pet her. I said yes and showed him how & where to pet her on her body, and he did and then climbed back to his seat. I'm then talking to my friend and the next thing I see out of the corner of my eye is the baby in the mom's arms being lowered down, head first, face up, so the baby's face was right next to ZoE's face (ZoE was about 7 months old at the time). I turned and made sure I had a solid hold on ZoE's harness and pulled her away from the baby, but I couldn't believe a mom would deliberately put her infant baby's face right next to a strange dog. I turned further to look the mom in the eye, like what the heck and she just did a nervous-type laugh and said she thought the baby would want to pet the puppy too

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by KazzyK810

I saw this clip on the news yesterday. She was ALL OVER HIS FACE with her hands and then put her face right in his. Crazy what people do with strange dogs.

I was at a renaissance festival with ZoE last summer and a lady was behind us with a little boy about 4 or 5 and a baby (infant). The boy was talking to ZoE and stepped down onto the stand I was sitting on and asked if he could pet her. I said yes and showed him how & where to pet her on her body, and he did and then climbed back to his seat. I'm then talking to my friend and the next thing I see out of the corner of my eye is the baby in the mom's arms being lowered down, head first, face up, so the baby's face was right next to ZoE's face (ZoE was about 7 months old at the time). I turned and made sure I had a solid hold on ZoE's harness and pulled her away from the baby, but I couldn't believe a mom would deliberately put her infant baby's face right next to a strange dog. I turned further to look the mom in the eye, like what the heck and she just did a nervous-type laugh and said she thought the baby would want to pet the puppy too

I had a similar experience when I was training Max to walk on busy city sidewalks. He was about a year old and very nervous. A woman put her under-2 year old down right in Max's face before I could say anything. Max barked, the toddler cried, and the woman gave me a dirty look.

[gemy]

That is so very sad, and I'm absolutely sure everyone on set felt terrible. That this sort of thing got televised, when they were trying to promote rescue dogs.

I agree with the many posters that said' the news person, should not have put her face next to his, and also that she was crowding the dog for a good 30 seconds or so. This is a guard and protect dog, and one should never crowd this type of dog, unless you are the owner!. It looked like she was going to "kiss the dog" on the snout, and made a kissing sound, then the dog snapped. So very sad.

I have been snapped at twice by BRT's and it is a very scarey experience. Not my own dogs, and both times, the owners of each BRT, had a very long discussion with me. With these breeds, the owners must always be aware and very knowledgeable about their own dog. For example, I would trust a known person who trains obedience dogs, to hold Magic for me, but never would I trust that self same person to hold Zoey without a very long dialogue. Magic is a stable dog, Zoey is not.

I hope that there was a very long dialogue between all parties present, and that everyone learnt something.

Also to whit; never try to "hug" a strange dog, or even a dog that is somewhat known to you. The action of "hugging" in doggy language is a dominant gesture.

[Princes mom]

Originally Posted by carmen in nj

yes I saw it in the news is really horrible.. poor lady , and hopefullly they will understand that is NoT the dog's fault..
hugs,

Ditto. Def not the dog's fault.

[BabyFidgette]

See, now I sorta disagree with all of you. I understand she was in his face, but she was just petting him. She wasn't hurting him. I don't understand why he didn't let off a growl to scare her and not a bite. You have to look at the person holding the dog too. He had him on his hind legs, didn't he? Also, you don't know what went on prior. How many people do you hear (whether it be with your dog or another) say: Can I pet her/him? Does she/he bite? And the number one answer is no. He looked like a very amicable dog. I would have never guessed he'd bite. I guess he was out of his element, but dog lover or not, I don't feel she is to "blame" at all. To put blame on someone then says to me as she deserves what happens. She doesn't deserve that, hence I don't feel she is to blame. I feel it was a terrible accident in which other anchors and TV hosts will hopefully not attempt to do in the future.

Here's a continuation to the story if anyone is interested. They don't show the bite in this video.
Kyle Dyer, Recovering After Dog Bite On Face During On-Air Segment, Describes Horrific Accident, Triumphant Recovery

[Britster]

I definitely don't think it's all her fault. And I feel terrible for her. I think it's a mistake a LOT of "dog lovers" make - they think they can be all lovey dovey with every dog they come across, forgetting that these are indeed animals with very sharp teeth. Would you be petting a wolf like Kyle was, even if it had been raised around humans all of it's life, and "seemed" okay? Probably not. (not saying domesticated dogs ARE wolves, btw, but saying they have the same genetics, and the same sharp teeth. Those huge canine teeth were not designed for kissing humans, if you catch my drift, lol). I don't see how it should be any different. It seems common sense not to stick your fingers in the cage of a lion, it seems common sense not to caress a wolf all over it's head if you have never met them before. I am always in Jackson's face, because we have a mutual respect - he's my dog. But I would never allow a stranger because you simply don't know what a dog is going to like or not appreciate, and you never know when they may bite.

And FWIW, that dog looked extremely uncomfortable to me the entire time until he snapped. He is showing LOTS of signs of discomfort if you have read anything about canine body language.

Ultimately, I believe fault falls all on the owner of the dog. The fact that he was off leash in the first place and got himself into the situation where he needed to be rescued. Then 24 hours later, after a very traumatic experience, he is brought into a stressful studio environment, which is always usually very small - and his owner is holding him by his collar, so he has NO where to turn away, or walk away if he's uncomfortable, so he was left doing what dogs can do because they obviously can't talk, and that was a bite. If he were truly a vicious dog, he probably would've ripped her face apart a lot more. The fact that it was a quick snap, shows me it was a warning bite. If he had been my dog, I would've politely declined a TV interview OR asked if it could have been outside at a park, or in my own home, etc.

But what's done is done. I commend the reporter for being so big about the whole thing - it seems she has learned a lesson, and it turned out to be an overall positive thing. I was pleasantly surprised when most of the public did not blame the dog, and it didn't begin a "I hate pit bulls" riot, or anything of the sort. I think everyone agrees that a lot of things were done wrong and I don't think any one person is at fault.

I really like this poster.