FEB. 15 UPDATE: Doug Kelley, executive director of Denver Animal Control, told 9NEWS that Max will be going home when his quarantine ends on Saturday, Feb. 18.
A dog rescued by a firefighter from an icy Colorado pond on Tuesday bit an anchor during a live newscast the following morning.
Max, an 85-pound Argentinian Mastiff (aka Dogo Argentino), had been rescued less than 24 hours before the newscast by firefighter Tyler Sugaski after he fell through ice while chasing a coyote across a frozen reservoir in Lakewood, Colo. The dog spent about 20 minutes swimming in circles in the freezing water before Sugaski could break the ice with his arms to reach him, 9NEWS reported on Tuesday.
The next morning, Max, his dog dad, Michael Robinson, and Sugaski appeared together on a live 9NEWS show. During the segment, anchor Kyle Dyer kneeled next to Max, petting his head for several minutes as she interviewed Robinson and Sugaski. As she leaned in, placing her face next to his, Max bit her mouth.
Dyer was taken to Denver Health Medical Center, where reconstructive surgery was performed on her mouth. She was released Thursday afternoon and is expected to return to work after she recovers.
Max was taken to Denver Animal Control, where he is being held under quarantine for 10 days, which is the department’s standard policy for any dog or cat that bites someone and breaks the skin.
On Thursday, Doug Kelley, executive director of Denver Animal Control, told 9NEWS “it certainly doesn’t appear” that Max will be euthanized.
“The investigation is ongoing,” Kelley said. “We’re checking to see if there’s any bite history anywhere else. So far, we haven’t found anything. If there are no other bites, he will be released at the end of the quarantine period.”
According to the Denver Post, Robinson was cited for allowing his dog to bite, violating a leash law and failing to have his dog vaccinated for rabies.
Robinson released a statement Thursday that expressed his sympathy and concern for Dyer, and defended his dog.
“For the record, Max is current in his vaccinations,” Robinson wrote. “Max has no history of aggression. Max is a gentle, loving, family dog. Max is well mannered and obedient and he hardly barks. This incident truly is unfortunate and does not reflect Max’s disposition towards people.”
In an update yesterday on the 9NEWS website, Dyer’s co-anchor, Gary Shapiro, wrote, “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.”
Animal behavior experts are weighing in, saying that since Dyer was a stranger to Max, she should have avoided putting her face close to the dog’s.
Matt Levien, an animal behavior technician, told 9NEWS that Max’s excessive licking of his lips prior to and during the interview was a sign of stress. The dog may have still been traumatized from his rescue just the day before, and the adrenaline that was likely still flowing through his body “sets a lower threshold for what he can handle. This dog may, on a normal basis, be able to handle everything that’s been going on,” Levien said.
Eugenia Vogel, i Love Dogs’ Ask a Trainer, has more than 20 years’ experience training dogs. She agreed that Max appeared to be under great duress.
“Remember that this dog was already stressed from the rescue, then being in a very foreign place – I’m guessing he wasn’t used to visiting a news station with weird-looking equipment getting near him and his dog dad,” she said. “His dog dad was probably nervous too, being on TV, which would make the dog anxious.”
Vogel said early training and socialization are critical in preventing a dog from potentially biting. “Dogs need to be taught at a very early age that human skin is as fragile as a rose petal,” she said. “Dogs need to learn about how to monitor their jaw pressure appropriately. A dog who’s never felt he had to defend himself before and then finds himself in a scary or threatening position will ‘shoot from the hip’ with what he thinks he needs to do to stop the invasion.”
Levien told 9NEWS that people shouldn’t reach out to pet any dog they haven’t met before.
“With a strange dog, the best thing you can do is have that animal approach you,” he advised, adding that you should turn sideways as the dog – or cat – approaches you. “You can even present your side in a squatting position, and offer that dog an even less-threatening situation,” he said.
More than 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs every year. The U.S. Postal Service offers these additional tips for avoiding dog bites.
PHOTO: por diaz de vivar gustavo