KUSA sent reporter Chris Vanderveen to the Denver Animal Shelter on Thursday to check up on Max, the 85-pound Argentine Mastiff that bit anchor Kyle Dyer. The dog is currently under quarantine following the on-air bite.
In a story that lead KUSA’s evening newscasts on Thursday, the shelter’s director told Vanderveen that Max will “most likely” not be put down.
“One of the things that Max has going for him is that it appears that this is his first bite,” the shelter’s director, Doug Kelley, said.
Recounting the incident in his story, Vanderveen emphasized the potentially stressful circumstances surrounding the bite (it was less than 24 hours after Max was rescued from icy waters and occurred under bright studio lights) as well as the fact that Dyer got “close, really close” to the dog.
Max is currently under a 10-day quarantine. His fate will be decided at the end of the quarantine period.
Max’s owner released the following statement on Thursday:
The past two days have been incredibly difficult for our family. We are truly saddened that Kyle Dyer of 9NEWs was injured during a celebratory interview following Max’s rescue. Our family and friends pray for a quick recovery and look forward to seeing Ms. Dyer back on-air soon.
The only reason we agreed to do the interview following Max’s rescue was to show how truly grateful we are for the life-saving rescue of Max by Tyler Sugaski and the crew from Lakewood Fire Department Station No. 12.
There’s been a tremendous amount of interest in Max’s story. However, there has been some misinformation reported by some news media and on the Internet about Max.
For the record, Max is current in his vaccinations. 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.
(Full statement here).
Here’s video of the bite…