Friday 27 / December / 2024
Washington, DC: US President Joe Biden's two-year-old German Shepherd named Commander has bitten another US Secret Service agent at the White House on Monday morning.
This marks the 11th time the dog has bitten a guard at the White House or the Biden family home, CNN reported.
“Yesterday around 8 pm, a Secret Service Uniformed Division police officer came in contact with a First Family pet and was bitten. The officer was treated by medical personnel on complex,” United States Secret Service (USSS) chief of communications Anthony Guglielmi said as cited by CNN.
The injured officer spoke with the Secret Service Uniformed Division Chief Alfonso M Dyson Senior on Tuesday and is doing okay, Guglielmi said.
Notably, Biden's dog Commander has been involved in at least 11 biting incidents at the White House and in Delaware, including a November 2022 incident where an officer was hospitalized after the dog clamped down on their arms and thighs, according to CNN reporting and US Secret Service email correspondence.
Earlier in July, White House officials said that the Bidens were working through new training and leashing protocols for the family pet following his attacks.
Elizabeth Alexander, communications director for the First Lady said in a statement, "The First Family continues to work on ways to help Commander handle the often unpredictable nature of the White House grounds.”
“The President and First Lady are incredibly grateful to the Secret Service and Executive Residence staff for all they do to keep them, their family, and the country safe,” she added.
Biden's other dog, Major was also involved in biting incidents at the White House. The German Shepherd later moved out of the White House and Commander arrived at the White House in 2021, reported CNN.
However, the July email correspondence, obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests by the conservative group Judicial Watch, reflected 10 incidents.
In another incident in October, First Lady Jill Biden said, "couldn’t regain control” of the dog as it charged a member of Secret Service staff."
