President Biden's dog bit service agents multiple times, White House blames

Commander, one of President Joe Biden’s German shepherds, has been involved in at least 10 incidents of biting Secret Service agents, according to internal emails that a conservative watchdog group recently obtained.

The emails, which Judicial Watch, a Washington-based conservative group, got hold of, show that Commander, who is almost 2 years old, has had trouble adapting to his new surroundings at the White House, where he moved in 2021, and Delaware, where the Bidens have two homes.

In early November 2022, for example, an officer who was bitten by Commander on the arm and thigh was sent to the hospital by the White House medical team, the emails reveal.

A week later, Biden’s German shepherd bit another agent on the left thigh while he was walking with Jill Biden, the first lady.

That same month, an agent felt the need to lift up his chair and use it as a shield when Commander started barking at him from the top of a White House staircase, leaving him “shaken,” the emails say.

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Six of the incidents were bites that required some medical attention, according to the emails, which span from October 2022 to January 2023.

Other aggressive incidents in which Commander did not break skin or was more “playful” were downplayed by the agents.

Commander is not the first of Mr. Biden’s dogs to cause trouble. In March 2021, the Bidens sent two other dogs, Champ and Major, to Delaware for about two weeks of training after Major, a rescue dog, had a “biting incident” with a White House staff member. Champ died later that year.

The Bidens are working with the Secret Service on “additional leashing protocols and training” to control Commander, according to Elizabeth Alexander, a White House spokeswoman.

“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,” Ms. Alexander said in a statement.

Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for the Secret Service, said the agency does not train the first family’s dogs. Executive residence staff take care of walking the dog, with agents sometimes following behind, he said.

“While special agents and officers neither care for nor handle the first family’s pets, we continuously work with all applicable entities to minimize adverse impacts in an environment that includes pets,” he said. It is not clear how much formal training Commander has had.

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The White House has set up designated areas for the 2-year-old German shepherd to run and exercise.

The dog was seen walking around the White House grounds and doing his business on Tuesday.

“According to the Secret Service, each incident referenced was treated similarly to comparable workplace injuries, with relevant notifications and reporting procedures followed,” Ms. Alexander said.

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