An amazing story of a dog being rescued from an icy lake brought tears to the eyes as viewers watched the rescue captured on video earlier this week. But the dog can’t seem to catch a break, and today the same dog seems to be having even more trouble.
A 3-year-old Mastiff named Max made headlines this past week when he was rescued from Smith Reservoir after falling into the icy pond while chasing a coyote. But his second chance at life is in question again after he bit a news anchor during a special segment about his amazing rescue.
Max was on 9 News Wednesday as his owner and the fireman who rescued him were being interviewed by KUSA anchor Kyle Dyer. Dyer was petting Max on the floor of the studio as she spoke to the two men who were seated at the time, when the segment took a turn for the worst. As Dyer lunged in toward Max, she was bit on the face.
Dyer was hospitalized immediatley and reportedly had reconstructive surgery on her lip.
“Her recovery is going to take a while, but it is now underway,” said Gary Shapiro of 9News, who posted a note on the 9 News Facebook page. “She wanted me to thank everyone w…ho has called, sent e-mails, posted comments and sent well-wishes and prayers her way. Kyle is going to be OK, although she will be off the air for a while.”
“I wanted to update everyone on Kyle’s condition and relate some of my feelings about what happened this morning. I just spent some time with her, and she is doing incredibly well all things considered,” said Shapiro.
Shapiro explained what happened to Dyer during Wednesday’s segment:
This morning we were doing a human interest segment, as we often do on the morning show. Tuesday, a firefighter risked his life to save a dog named Max who wondered out on an ice covered lake and fell in. We wanted to do an interview with the firefighter, who many consider a hero. Max and his owner were here too. Kyle was glad she got assigned to it, because she loves animals. Max and his owner spent about 45 minutes in the newsroom before they went on the air, and many members of the staff greeted them and petted Max. He seemed perfectly normal.
During the interview Kyle petted him, and talked to the two guest. At the very end of the segment, Max snapped at Kyle for whatever reason and got some of her lip. The firefighter immediately started caring for Kyle in the newsroom and to us became a hero for the second time. She was taken by ambulance to Denver Health Medical Center a short time later to be treated.
While many are worried about Dyer’s condition, many are worried about Max’s too. While Dyer recovers, Max’s fate remains unknown as he’s currently quarantined at Denver Animal Shelter until a judge can hold a hearing on the charges and rule on the dog’s fate, reported ABC.
Outrage poured out by viewers over the incident, though mostly in favor of Max, who many say was traumatized by the near death experience and acted out of trauma. Many say the segment was too soon for Max and Dyer was too close to the dog during the segment which didn’t help either.
“Many have asked why Max, the dog involved, was taken by animal control and is now in quarantine. We called 911 for EMTs to help Kyle. From Denver Police we’ve been told, ‘It is standard protocol to call animal control if the dog is still present,'” reads the 9 News Facebook page.
The whole incident was captured on camera. Check it out.
