“Commander”
Naughty First Dog: Biden’s dog bit Secret Service employees at least 24 times
A senior agent is said to have advised his colleagues to give Joe Biden’s German Shepherd “Commander” “plenty of space” to avoid bites
© President Joe Biden / APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire / DPA
The agents of the infamous Secret Service are tough. But the elite bodyguards couldn’t get along with “Commander”, US President Joe Biden’s German Shepherd. Or rather the other way around.
National and public security, protecting the economy, fighting cybercriminals. They have a lot to do at the Secret Service. However, the US authority is best known for its elite bodyguards. Among other things, they are responsible for the security of the president and his family. If the worst comes to the worst, the agents risk their lives for the head of state. But sometimes the danger is much more commonplace – and comes on four paws.
Joe Biden’s German Shepherd had to leave the White House
As reported by the US broadcaster CNN, among others, citing internal Secret Service documents Joe Biden’s German Shepherd bit his master’s bodyguards in at least 24 cases between October 2022 and July 2023: in the wrist, forearm, elbow, waist, chest, thigh and shoulder. In June, “Commander” sank his teeth so deeply into an agent’s arm that tours of the East Wing of the White House had to be briefly interrupted.
The extent of the biting attacks was previously unknown. The Secret Service was apparently forced to adapt to the herding dog’s aggressive behavior. A high-ranking agent advised his colleagues in an email, among other things, to “give plenty of space” to the herding dog. We have to “be creative to ensure our own personal safety.”
Commander finally had to move out last fall. “Despite additional dog training, leash requirements, collaboration with veterinarians and consultation with animal behaviorists, the White House environment was simply too much for Commander,” Jill Biden’s press secretary said at the time. From now on the dog will live with other family members.
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However, the documents relate exclusively to Commander’s offenses against Secret Service employees. As CNN further reports, the German Shepherd attacked the White House staff several times, among other things.
Incidentally, Commander, whom the family got as a puppy in December 2021, is not the Bidens’ first first dog who had to leave the White House because of his unpredictable nature. His predecessor “Major” also had to move after a bite incident.