Commander, the Biden's German shepherd, is wreaking havoc in the White House. According to Secret Service officials in several e-mails obtained by the conservative group Judicial Watch, the dog has been involved in at least ten attacks on U.S. President Joe Biden's security personnel.
BREAKING: Judicial Watch received 194 pages of records from the DHS revealing 10 attacks by President Joe Biden’s German Shepherd, Commander, on officers and agents of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) between October 2022 and January 2023, and do not include any possible recent… pic.twitter.com/TaYo0mk9nG
— Judicial Watch ⚖️ (@JudicialWatch) July 25, 2023
One of them even had to be treated in hospital after receiving several bites from the animal on his arm and leg on November 3. In another incident, NPR recounts, First Lady, Jill Biden, "couldn't regain control" of Commander after he attacked another Secret Service member on Oct. 26:
The First Lady couldn't regain control of Commander and he continued to circle me. I believe it's only a matter of time before an agent/officer is attacked or bit.
Jill Biden's Communications Director, Elizabeth Alexander, attempted to justify the German shepherd's behavior to CNN and claimed it was because the White House can be a stressful environment for Commander:
The White House complex is a unique and often stressful environment for family pets, and the First Family is working through ways to make this situation better for everyone.
Commander will receive new training
For the time being, explained White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre, the Biden dog will receive new training to prevent further attacks on members of the Secret Service:
They have been partnering with the Secret Service and Executive Residence staff on additional leashing protocols and training, as well as establishing designated areas for Commander to run and exercise.
This is not the first time the Biden's have had problems with their pets. They arrived at the White House accompanied by Champ and Major, two dogs. After Champ's death a year later, Major began biting members of the Secret Service and the Biden's had to give him away to friends after being unable to correct the animal's bad behavior. Just a few months later, and only a few months old, Commander arrived at the White House.
Nor is this the first time the Secret Service has run into problems with the pets of U.S. presidents. The agency's communications chief, Anthony Guglielmi, assured that they are "aware" of the incidents and will continue to fight to protect both the president and the first lady and their employees:
For the past several presidential administrations, the Secret Services has navigated how to best operate around family pets and these incidents are no exception. We take the safety and wellbeing of our employees extremely seriously. As such, we are aware of past incidents involving first-family pets and these instances were treated similarly to comparable workplace injuries, to include with relevant notifications and reporting procedures followed.
