Kyle Dyer of 9News is an irrepressible optimist.

She’s also a lucky woman with a very good plastic surgeon.

Scars form an upside-down V above her mouth where skin grafted from her lower lip was refashioned into a new upper lip after her much-publicized dog-bite accident. But the slash to her nose is practically healed, and, she says, “literally, every day it does look better.”

“It’s still numb on the bottom,” she said. “It will be six months before I feel anything there.”

Her mouth was sewn shut for a week and a half. She is scheduled to get the remaining 20 stitches out today. Doctors won’t know whether more surgeries are needed until summer.

“I really lucked out,” she said.

Two weeks ago, on Feb. 8, in an accident replayed around the world, Dyer suffered a dog bite on live TV in the KUSA-Channel 9 studios. The dog had been rescued from an icy lake the day before, and the station was doing a feel-good follow-up. When Dyer leaned in close for a snuggle, the Argentine mastiff bit her, tearing off her upper lip.

Was she too close?

“I guess I was,” she said. “We’ve all learned a lot in the last two weeks.”

But she is not bitter, angry or sad.

“It was a fluke, it happened,” she said. “It could have been so much worse. Not once was I afraid or scared. Yeah, it hurt, but having a baby hurt more.”

As it was happening, she had two thoughts: “I’m bleeding.” And, “it was on television!”

The station had just switched to wireless microphones, she said, which was good because she didn’t have to struggle with a cord to get out of the live shot.

The incident went viral. Her niece in Lithuania read about it in the newspaper, and a friend in Tokyo saw it on television. Dyer’s Facebook page has sympathetic notes from Holland, Spain, all over the world. Dyer’s husband, Chris, managed to call Dyer’s mother in suburban Washington, D.C., before she glimpsed the accident in the media.

Two surgeries later, the morning news anchor is not only talking again but talking about going back to work. That is, after a hip replacement, which is scheduled in 10 days.

“I’ve had hip displasia, now it’s grinding bone-on-bone,” she said. “I can’t walk my dog,” a black Lab.

The surgery was originally scheduled for the end of March, but because she’s already in recuperation mode, her doctors have moved up the date.

“I’ve got this hospital thing down,” she said.

Dyer has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support (bins of cards and letters are stacked in her Denver living room), and mystified by the flood of blame and anger (some on the part of animal lovers upset at the detention of the dog, Max, now at home with his owner).

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

Dyer has no use for the negativity and finger-pointing that ensued. “It’s a shame some negative stuff had to come out of this. For me, in an odd way, this has been a positive experience.”

More family time, a renewal of faith in human beings, the support of her devout Catholic faith, along with that of friends and colleagues.

“This has made me stronger,” she said. “It’s definitely helped my girls.”

Her husband has been more upset by the Internet negativity.

Dyer’s experience raised questions about understanding animal behavior. KUSA instituted changes in the way newsroom personnel interact with animals, often in the building for pet-adoption features.

“You can pet them, but you don’t have to make it a TV moment,” said news director Patti Dennis.

Further, the event sparked debate in journalistic circles about the propriety of broadcasting or posting the disturbing footage of the attack. Although 9News management asked media colleagues for restraint in making the judgment call, one station, Fox-31, replayed the YouTube footage multiple times.

Dyer has seen the footage — she also has gruesome pre-surgery photos — and finds it unsettling.

An unpleasant fact of the news business — “if it bleeds, it leads” — came home to her in an unexpected way because of this story. “It’s a big learning experience for journalism, how quickly things spread, how quickly people react,” she said.

Another reality of the TV business is that anchors, especially women, are judged on the basis of looks as much as talent. A disfiguring injury to the face could be a career-ender in a visual medium.

Oddly, that wasn’t her first thought, although it did occur to those around her.

“In this business, what you look like is … a lot,” Dyer said. “But people are not superficial. They’ve been letting me know, ‘you’re beautiful inside and out.’ “

Through it all, Dyer has been heartened by the kindness of viewers who feel she is almost family after 16 years of sharing morning coffees with her.

“I wish I could thank them all,” she said. “When I go back to work, I’ll blow kisses with my fabulous lips.”

Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com