Most people think that dogs are charming, warm-hearted creatures. While that view may be true for many individual dogs, it does not reflect the reality that dogs can also be dangerous.

New York residents may have already heard about the television news anchor in Denver who was recently the victim of a dog attack while she was live on the air. Her sad and frightening story should be a reminder that dog bites and attacks can happen to almost anyone and can involve almost any kind of dog, regardless of how sweet and docile the dog may seem.

The anchor was interviewing firefighters who had recently rescued the three-year-old, 85-pound Argentine mastiff after it fell through some ice on a lake. The anchorwoman leaned in to pet the dog and the dog -- which until this point had been quiet and well-behaved -- responded by biting her in the face.


The news anchor was rushed to a local hospital and underwent emergency reconstructive surgery. The specifics of her injuries have not been released to the public, but she is expected to recover fully and will be back on the job in a few weeks.

In cases like this, where it seems the injured person did nothing wrong, many people who have been bitten by dogs seek to hold the owner liable and ask for compensation for their medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering. It seems only fair, since dog owners must be able to make sure their pets will behave in public.

Source: Yahoo! News, "Rescued dog bites NBC anchor in the face during feel-good segment gone wrong," Dylan Stableford, Feb. 9, 2012