Snappy “Commander”
Eleventh incident: US President Biden’s dog bites Secret Service officer again
US President Joe Biden speaks on the phone on the Truman Balcony in the White House while his dog Commander lies next to him on the sofa
© Adam Schultz / The White House via AP / DPA
Animal trouble in the White House: Joe Biden’s dog “Commander” has bitten a Secret Service official again. This is said to be the eleventh incident.
Trouble again about “Commander”: The dog from Joe Biden has bitten a Secret Service official again. An employee of the security agency responsible for protecting the US President “came into contact with a pet of the First Family” and was bitten, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said on Wednesday. The official received medical attention at the White House on site.
Commander, who came to the White House as a puppy in 2021, repeatedly made headlines in the years that followed. According to US media, there are at least eleven known biting incidents involving German Shepherds. In addition, other incidents became public in which Commander attacked people or barked aggressively.
After the current case, a spokeswoman for First Lady Jill Biden tried to explain: The White House is “a stressful environment” for pets. The Bidens are continuing to “help Commanders navigate the often unpredictable” environment at the presidential residence.
Joe Biden’s dog has already completed special training
The presidential couple had already stated in the past that Commander would receive special training because of his behavior. One of the most serious incidents documented to date occurred in November 2022, when Commander unprovokedly bit a Secret Service officer on the upper right arm and thigh, according to Secret Service email records. The officer had to be treated in hospital for his wounds.
The Bidens’ senior German Shepherd, Major, has had his own biting incidents, including two in March 2021. After the first incident, he came to President Biden’s home in Delaware for a short time. The Bidens then sent Major to live with family friends around the time Commander arrived at the White House in December 2021.
The Bidens also have a cat named Willow. At least it’s a pet that hasn’t yet caused any commotion in the White House.
Sources: “Washington Post“, “CNN“, “NPR“, with AFP material