President Biden’s dog commander looks out from a balcony during a Thanksgiving turkey amnesty in 2022. Secret Service records show the dog bitten several agents, raising concern.
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President Biden’s dog commander looks out from a balcony during a Thanksgiving turkey amnesty in 2022. Secret Service records show the dog bitten several agents, raising concern.
Carolyn Kaster/AP
President Biden’s dog commander found himself in a dog crate after a series of incidents where it bitten Secret Service officers on duty at the White House.
Records show that German Shepherd bit several Secret Service agents a total of 10 times between October 2022 and January 2023. One incident resulted in an agent being hospitalized for treatment.
Aware of the incidents, conservative monitoring group Judicial Watch File a lawsuit to gain access to 194 pages of emails and texts in which Secret Service agents and officials describe aggressive encounters with the Commander.
For example, on October 26, the Commander attacked an agent while walking with First Lady Jill Biden.
“The First Lady was unable to regain control of the Commander and he continued to surround me. I believe it is only a matter of time before an agent/officer is attacked or bitten,” an email from a Secret Service official said. The names of most of the agents and officials have been redacted.
A few days later, on November 3, the Commander bit an officer twice, once in their arm and then when the officer stood up, in their leg. The officer said they had to use a steel vehicle as a shield from another attack, and they were in great pain after the incident.
The following month, the president himself was walking in the Kennedy Gardens, where he released the dog from the leash. The commander ran up to an agent and bit them twice, once on his left forearm and once on his thumb. The emails said Biden “seemed worried” about the agent, who continued to work for the remainder of their shift.
Champ, lying on his side, and Major, standing, on the South Lawn of the White House on March 31, 2021. Champ died a few months later at the age of 13 and the Major went to a new home following the bite incident.
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Champ, lying on his side, and Major, standing, on the South Lawn of the White House on March 31, 2021. Champ died a few months later at the age of 13 and the Major went to a new home following the bite incident.
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The Biden family also has another dog that also bit the agent
The Bidens brought two German Shepherds with them when they moved into the White House in 2021: Champ, who passed away at the age of 13 that year, and Major, a smaller dog adopted from a shelter.
But after a few biting incidents — and consultation with experts — the Major was sent to live with friends of the Bidens, for safety reasons. (Judicial Watch also obtained hundreds of pages of records regarding the Major’s conduct.)
Commander arrives at the White House as a puppy in December 2021, a birthday present from James, Biden’s brother.
But by the end of the year, the Commander’s behavior had come to the attention of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, the emails show.
The Secret Service said in a statement that it takes the safety and security of its employees “extremely seriously”.
“During several previous presidential administrations, the Secret Service has navigated how best to operate around family pets, and these incidents were no exception,” spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement.
Previous incidents involving family pets, he said, are also first considered workplace injuries. “While agents and officers do not care for or handle first family pets, we continually work with all relevant entities to minimize adverse impacts in the environment including pets,” he said.
Commander walks outside the West Wing on April 29, 2023.
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Commander walks outside the West Wing on April 29, 2023.
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Contractors are trying to work on new protocols for Commanders
Elizabeth Alexander, First Lady Jill Biden’s communications director, said in a statement
“They partnered with Secret Service agents and the Executive Building on additional leash training and procedures, as well as setting up designated areas for the Commander to operate and exercise,” Alexander said.
Alexander notes that the White House complex can often be a stressful environment for family pets.
The Commander watches from the doorstep of the White House as the Bidens board Marine One helicopter on June 25, 2022.
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The Commander watches from the doorstep of the White House as the Bidens board Marine One helicopter on June 25, 2022.
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Bob Brandau, a Florida-based dog behavior expert, says animals are very sensitive to their environment.
“Being in that facility itself was a stressor, given the level of activity, the level of people entering, the level of security protocols, and then all those restricted areas of the building,” Brandau told NPR in an interview.
Brandau, a dog trainer and has been an expert witness in aggressive dog trials, says dogs like Commander can become more comfortable attacking and biting over time.
Brandau, who reviewed the Secret Service emails, said: “There is no obvious intervention that seems to work in any way to prevent that behavior from recurring as the dog has had so many incidents.” At this point, Brandau said he thought it was hard to do more to train the Commander.
“If the dog is muzzled and on a leash, it is safer,” says Brandau. “This dog can strike at any time… the question is not whether this dog will bite again, but who will it bite next? And how serious will those injuries be?”
The Biden family takes the Commander for a walk in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on December 28, 2021.
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The Biden family takes the Commander for a walk in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on December 28, 2021.
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