Anchor Bit in the Face After Getting Too Close

[RadiationTherapy]

It's easy to see how she screwed up, but in the comments someone says there were "several" warning signs from the dog. I know not to get my face that close, but I admit missing any/all clues by the dog.

Article:
http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2012/02/kyle_dyer_9news_bit_in_face_dog.php

Video:

[polly7]

1. Wow. She did do the wrong thing

but what struck me, is that neither officer looked towards her first to see if she was alright. I'm glad she's ok.

[hlthe2b]

5. I think they looked instinctively towards the dog to ensure they had him under control...

But, yes, there was a lip curl that, had she understood dog behavior a bit more (or been a bit less distracted by the interview), she might have picked up on.

The dog's body language was very consistently compliant and passive while she was stroking him, but once she moved in with her face, he did send a signal...

I hope she is ok. Not a good idea in general to put one's face directly to a dog you don't know... It is taken as a sign of aggression for many dogs.

[Bake]

25. The lip curl was a split second before he snapped at her.

Even if she had been paying attention, I'm not sure she could have avoided it, other than by not getting down in the dog's face. By the time the dog curled the lip, it was really too late.

She messed up, and the handlers messed up. They should have warned her IN ADVANCE not to get in the dog's face.

Damn shame, and I hope she and the dog are both OK.

Bake

[Demonaut]

2. licking lips, being restrained by the owner

[RadiationTherapy]

6. Thank you.

[appleannie1]

3. She stuck her face right in the dog's face. No wonder he felt threatened

[Enrique]

4. the woman did nothing wrong

no, of couse I'm not blaming the dog, but blaming the woman is just as ridiculous. She's an anchor person, not an expert on what to do with dogs. Presumably the dumbasses sitting there ARE experts and if she shouldn't have gotten that close they should have told her to back off.

[hlthe2b]

7. Yes, of course they should have been in control and cautioned her...

But, yes, from the standpoint of the dog, her body language in moving her face directly into his was an aggressive act. From the dog's POV, she definitely did "something wrong"... Her fault? No. But, it was a mistake. I just hope she is ok.

[Enrique]

8. I didn't know that

is it my responsibility to become a dog expert so I don't get my lip ripped off, which is what happened to this woman. She's undergoing reconstructive surgery.

[hlthe2b]

9. Did you even read what I wrote? I said it was the fault of the handlers for not warning her.

What an incredibly rude and inappropriate response to me.

I actually know Kyle on a professional level. I am very saddened to see this happen to her.

[treestar]

11. Dogs are common in the world, so maybe you should know a thing or two about them?

Especially safety concerns. Don't bother them when they are eating, don't pull their tails. I would have said don't put your face right in front of them unless you know them well, or they are wagging their tail and acting friendly.

[madmom]

12. If your interaction with a dog is going to be

that close, yes, it is your responsibility to know how it will react, or suffer the consequences.

[Bonhomme Richard]

15. If it were my dog my first reaction when she started getting to close would have..

been to pull the dog back away from her.
This was the handlers fault. They were not paying attention, not to mention that dog just experienced a terrible trauma.

[TwilightGardener]

17. I think everyone was busy trying to make a good interview happen, and

the dog was supposed to be a cute friendly prop. Usually it works out, this time it didn't.

[Raffi Ella]

20. Exactly.

My instinct would have been to take care of my dog in that situation. Seeing her in his face and frantically petting him and the nervousness in her voice and how the dog was acting- I would have stood up and walked the dog away from her while keeping the conversation going.

I hope the woman is ok and I hope that dogs handlers take better care of him in the future.

[TheMadMonk]

24. I'd say BS. Most people are taught not to do this exact thing...

...even before they enter school.

A forgotten lesson is more likely than ignorance.

And she did not exactly give them time to stop her.

[Raffi Ella]

10. God damn, she made ME feel claustrophobic

being that close and holding his face like that. The officers should have taken better care of that dog, told her to back off.

[Broderick]

13. I wonder how she is?

[TwilightGardener]

14. That's a shame. I think the anchor was engaged in the interview

and not able to notice or process what the dog was doing. Not really her fault, just an unfortunate incident. I've never been bitten by a dog, nor have I ever seen the warning signs in person (despite having volunteered at the Humane Society)--but then I'm cautious around any dog that isn't mine. That said, I wonder what they will do with the mastiff?

[Brickbat]

16. Pretty much everyone fucked up here.

Any dog can act like that to anyone at any time, and apparently everyone in that studio forgot that.

[mrs_p]

18. A mistake made by many.

Especially when someone isn't really paying attention. I hope Kyle is OK.

[HopeHoops]

19. She doesn't understand dogs. Neither is at fault.

I was sleeping using our border collie as a pillow. She startled awake and bit my face, ripping my glasses off. I wasn't seriously damaged but the look on her face showed the horror that she knew what she had done was wrong. She was sleeping for God's sake. Despite my minor wounds, I just held her and reassured her that it was okay and I wasn't mad. I could tell she felt horrible. This is a dog that could rip the lungs out of an MMA fighter, but she's all pure and good inside. Instinct just kicks in sometimes.

The woman in the video clearly didn't read the dog's "uncomfortable zone" body language. You can't blame her if she wasn't familiar with recognizing it and you can't blame the dog for acting on it. That's a cultural clash and nothing more. It also isn't the trainer's fault. I'm faster than some dogs, but not most. The one thing I am never afraid to do is put my hand in a dog's mouth (behind the canines) and squeeze the lower jaw. I've trained a lot of dogs that way. Grab the jaw and look them in the eye and say, "I'm not afraid of you. Do NOT bite." with a rather loud growl before letting them go. It works and none have ever drawn blood.

Large dogs are a different realm than small dogs. They demand and deserve the respect in the same way that bears do. They LOOK like they should be cuddly, and most are, but if you violate their comfort level they can do far more damage than a small dog. While it is unfortunate that she was injured, her ignorance of the breed is what caused it, not the dog. She still isn't at intentional fault and neither is the dog.

[leftyladyfrommo]

21. I'm a professional dog handler.

I pet sit dogs all day long.

I never, ever put my face in a dog's face. They can react to that so fast that you literally could get your face ripped off. If I do something that stupid I never blame the dog. That's my fault. The dog is just reacting instinctively.

[HopeHoops]

22. That's essentially what I was saying.

[hlthe2b]

23. Update on Kyle: She is doing well after reconstructive surgery on her lip...

Large outpouring of support and a video piece on her linked below:

http://www.9news.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=1443380365001&odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|featured

The dog is undergoing mandatory quarantine and the owner was cited per law, but this is routine. Unless other issues arise, he'll go home to his family in 10 days.