A veteran TV anchor in Denver, Colorado, was rushed to the hospital and underwent reconstructive surgery after a dog that appeared on her morning show bit her in the face during a live TV segment. Max, an 85-pound Argentine Mastiff, sunk his teeth into Kyle Dyer's face when she bent down to pet him Wednesday morning during a morning show segment on KUSA-TV.

***WARNING - EXTREMELY GRAPHIC VIDEO***

Ms Dyer, who had been working at the station for over 15 years, had reconstructive surgery on Wednesday and is going to be out for several weeks while she recovers. The dog, whose full name is Warrior Maximus, recently survived a harrowing rescue from a freezing pond and was on the show as part of a mini-reunion between him and his rescuers.

'I know that she is a great journalist who loves happy stories - this was a happy story,' her co-anchor Gary Shapiro said in a note to fans.

The station's news chopper captured video footage of a firefighter rescuing Max from a freezing pond Monday after he fell through the ice and couldn't make it out. 'Kyle was glad she got assigned to it, because she loves animals,' Mr Shapiro said. '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.

A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE

Argentine mastiffs, also known as the Argentine Dogo, are known as big-game hunters and historically have gone after wild boars and pumas.

While they are now used as pets, they were bred from a rather violent group of dogs. The breed first appeared in 1928 as a relative of the Cordoba Fighting Dog. The dogs are very possessive and protect both their physical territory and their owners by using their strength and sharp teeth. .'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.' Now, Max has been caged by animal control officers and his owner, Michael Robinson has been fined. The station says Miss Dyer, who is married and is a mother, is in fair condition, recovering from the bite at at Denver hospital.

A trauma team is evaluating the injuries to her face. Mr Robinson says he was walking Max Monday when he saw a coyote and ran off after it. Authorities say Max spend 20 minutes swimming in the pond before a firefighter in a dry suit dove into the frigid waters and pulled him to safety.

The TV station aired the harrowing rescue and invited the firefighter, Mr Robinson and Max into their studios Wednesday morning for a reunion. That's when Max attacked Ms Dyer. The station says the attack was not broadcast, but it later released a short clip of the bite. Denver Animal Control Director Doug Kelley told CBS4 Denver Ms Dyer's injury was 'a pretty major bite.'

Station executives confirmed that Ms Dyer was out of surgery at around 2pm Wednesday. 'She's doing well, and will make a recovery, and we're all thinking about her and her family,' said 9News vice president Patti Dennis. Max, who did not have proper rabies vaccinations, will be quarantined 10 days to ensure he is healthy. Mr Johnson was cited for a dog bite violation, having the dog off his leash and not having proper vaccinations.  

(SOURCE)