On Tuesday afternoon, an 85-pound Argentine Mastiff, Max (pictured), fell into freezing water in Lakewood, Colorado.
What happened, according to 9News , is Max ran after a coyote and both he and the coyote fell into the icy waters. The coyote was never spotted again. Max was able to paddle and stay afloat until the West Metro Fire Department came and saved him.
Because of this amazing rescue, Max, his owner and the firefighter were invited to be on a Denver morning show with anchor, Kyle Dyer (pictured petting Max). As she is interviewing, the anchorwoman proceeds to get down on her knees and pets Max. She rubbed his face and has her face positioned closely to his. What ensued next was Kyle being bitten by Max. You can view the unfortunate incident here. Be forewarned, it is graphic.
Mz. Dyler reportedly had plastic surgery to fix her lip. She is doing fine. Max, on the other hand, is now in a shelter quarantined for 10 days because he wasn’t vaccinated. From the reports I heard this morning, despite what others claim may be the death of Max because of his breed, he, in all probability, will be released at the commence of his stay at the shelter.
While I’m sorry Dyer was bit, I feel there is a bigger lesson to be learned, While some may choose to blame the dog, one must examine what precipitated this bite. The anchorwoman, who was a stranger to Max, immediately began to pet him. She also tried to nuzzle her face with his. Although it’s been said Dyer loves animals and does a weekly news spot about adoptable animals, she made a huge error by confronting a dog in the manner she chose.
According to PetSource.org, here is how to approach a strange dog:
Making contact with a dog you’ve never met can be a dangerous proposition. Always remember that he is possibly frightened by your attention, and if your friendly overtures are mistaken for threats, the dog may become violent.How to tell a friendly dog from a potentially unfriendly one?You’ll know the friendly dog right away from his attitude and body language: He’ll come up to you openly, his nose sniffing to catch your scent, his tail wagging and held high, and he may or may not throw in a friendly bark for good measure. But how to tell if a dog is potentially friendly but also shy? Maybe he’d like to become your buddy but he’s wary of you. Always exercise caution with any dog you don’t know, but if you follow these steps there’s a good chance the shy dog may feel comfortable enough to become your new friend.
Get the dog’s attention: Make a soft noise with your tongue, or talk to him quietly. Whatever you do, don’t startle him.
Approach the dog VERY slowly. Try to appear as small as possible by moving in a half-crouch, coming down toward the dog’s level, but remember to stay attentive to his posture and attitude. Do NOT get down on your hands and knees, since that would make it harder for you to get away if the dog decided to attack. Stop when you get within 10-15 feet of him.
Be patient. Allow the dog to come the rest of the way to meet you. Call to him in a soothing voice. He’ll either take you up on your offer or he won’t. Be respectful of his choice, and do not move any closer to him. You may wish to toss him a bit of food at this point, if you have some. Slowly and gently, toss the morsel underhand to one side of him. Never throw the food directly at the dog.
If he does come the rest of the way to meet you:
Be careful not to make “threatening gestures”: Never stare the dog directly in the eye. Dogs interpret this as a sign of aggression, and may think you’re looking for a fight. Instead, look off to one side of the dog. Stretch out your hand toward him so that the back of your hand is facing him. This is less threatening than an open hand, and also lessens the chances that your fingers could be bitten.
Remain motionless as the dog sniffs at your hand. Let him take as long as he needs to accomplish this task – it’s very important to him! Let him finish his examination of your hand, then SLOWLY move the same hand to just behind one of his ears, and scratch or pet gently. Watch constantly for his reaction, and don’t insist if your movement makes him nervous. If he doesn’t like having you move your hand where he can’t see it, pat the side of his neck or his chest instead.
None of these suggestions were utilized. She made grave errors to approach Max in the manner she did. As the video shows, Max was leashed and sitting close to his owner. He could have been protective of him. He could have felt threatened by the proximity of her body next to his. She didn’t allow him to get to know her. She immediately thought it was okay to pet him.
I have been bitten twice in my life- my dog and a relative’s cat. Both sent out signals which were ignored by me. I never blamed nor hated the animals. My dog was protecting a bone. I didn’t know that at the time but his behavior was different and I chose to put my face next to his. I, too, was bit in the face but near my left eye. My relative’s cat was in my arms and began growling at another cat who was sitting in front of my feet. The cat in my lap gave out a warning sign and I waited too long to remove the cat and once again, I was the recipient of a very bad bite that laid my arm open.
I was at fault for ignoring the warning signs. I hope people take a lesson from this anchorwoman and don’t blame the dog. Unfortunately, Mz. Dyler is the one who is at fault and hope she utilizes this incident to educate others on the safety measures when meeting a strange dog.