Denver News Anchor Bitten by Dog: 'Having a Baby Hurt More'

Feb. 24, 2012 — -- The Colorado news anchor who was bitten by a rescued dog live on the air told the Denver Post in her first interview that the first thought she had after the dog bit her was, "I'm bleeding, and it had to be on television."

Kyle Dyer, a veteran morning news anchor for NBC News' Denver affiliate KUSA, was reporting an uplifting story of a dog rescued from a frozen reservoir on Feb. 8.

When Dyer bent down to kiss the dog's nose, the 85-pound Argentine Mastiff named Max turned his head and bit into Dyer's face as his owner and rescuer watched in disbelief.

"It was a fluke, it happened," Dyer told the Denver Post. "It could have been so much worse. Not once was I afraid or scared. Yeah, it hurt, but having a baby hurt more."

Dyer received 70 stitches and had her mouth stitched shut so that she could heal. A plastic surgeon grafted skin from her lower lip to build her a new upper lip, the Denver Post reported.

"We all think we know how to pet a dog, but we don't. You know, I don't, obviously," Dyer said. "By the end of that interview, it was just a fluke. I didn't see anything that I felt threatened [by]. I didn't realize that I was threatening [the dog]. It just happened."

The on-camera bite became a viral sensation, circulated all over the world.

"My niece lives in Lithuania, and it was in the newspaper in her small town in Lithuania. Can you believe that?" Dyer asked incredulously.

Dyer has already undergone two surgeries and is having the remaining stitches taken out this week. In the summer, a doctor will decide whether she needs any more surgery.

She has received an outpouring of support from people everywhere, who have left messages on her Facebook page and sent her cards. Dyer has also gotten some negative messages from people blaming her for the dog's temporary detention.

"People get heated and protective over dogs," she said. "I never felt any ill toward Max."

"The dog went and did his time, as the city says, and I'm glad he's back with his family because that must have been a really hard 24 hours for that family to go through that, so I'm glad they've got their dog back," Dyer said. "It was just an accident."

Dyer said the negativity was a "shame" because, for her, the experience had been oddly positive, and she is looking forward to getting back to work.

"I just keep reading the letters and know that I'm going to heal," she said. "I don't know how quickly, but I will and I'll be better than ever."

Additional reporting by ABCNews' Katie Kindelan.