A US television news anchor bitten on the face by a dog live on air is recovering and preparing to get back in front of the camera.
In her first interview since the February 8 attack, Kyle Dyer said she had received an outpouring of love.
"I have received so many letters, e-mails, from people just saying, 'We love you, we love you, you're beautiful inside and out, we can't wait to see you back,' " Dyer said.
"My family has been wonderful ... it's been very reflective. I just feel a lot of love."
Dyer, who presents for Denver NBC affiliate KUSA, was giving the 36.5kg Argentine mastiff named Max a scratch when she was bitten.
"I thought (Max) really seemed to love my nails and my rubbing," she said.
She leaned in to nuzzle the dog and "it was kind of an instantaneous bite and there was a little bark," she told NBC News.
"I just saw all the blood and I did not look in the mirror," she said. "My mouth was kind of opening up, so it was pretty severe."
She underwent two surgeries and received 90 stitches.
"It's really fascinating what they did," she said. "They took my upper lip ... took a part of my lower lip and kind of flipped it up, and then they sewed my mouth together."
She is still likely to require further surgery to restore her missing the "cupid's bow", the double-curve of the upper lip, but plans to get to work in the meantime.
"That could be the next surgery down the road, but that will be six months at the least," she said. "In the meantime, I'll have to work the lip liner really well — I'll get good at that."
Max was quarantined for 10 days but is now back with his owner.
Dyer admits she probably made a mistake leaning in so close.
"Maybe I was too close; maybe he was unsettled," she said.
Dyer said she was never worried that she would be so disfigured that she could not work on television again.
"I just knew it was all going to work out," she said.
"I see the dog on TV; he's back with his family, and we're all just healing and moving on."
Have you got a video of an animal attack? Let us know at news.feedback@ninemsn.com.au
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