According to Department of Homeland Security records, President Joe Biden’s dog, Commander bit Secret Service agents at least ten times between October 2022 and January 2203, including one incident that necessitated a trip to the hospital for a hurt law enforcement official. On Tuesday, Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog organization, made available over 200 pages of Secret Service documents it had received through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. The organization claimed it launched the lawsuit because the department, a component of DHS, “failed to respond adequately” to its request for documents regarding incidences of purebred German Shepherd Dogs biting last December. The organization claimed it made the request following a report about Commander’s conduct.
Numerous Secret Service agents are stationed all around the presidential palace and its expansive grounds to offer security protection
The White House and the Secret Service appeared to play down the situation on Tuesday. Elizabeth Alexander, communications director for first lady Jill Biden, said in an email that the White House complex is a “unique and often stressful environment” for family pets and that the Biden family was “working through ways to make this situation better for everyone.” The Secret Service’s chief spokesperson, Anthony Guglielmi, stated in a subsequent email that his office has “navigated how best to operate around family pets and these incidents are no exception” for the previous several presidents. We take our employees’ safety and well-being very seriously. Numerous Secret Service agents are stationed all around the presidential palace and its expansive grounds to offer security protection for the president and his family.
In December 2021, James sent Biden a gift in the form of a Commander. Another German shepherd named Major, the previous dog of the president, had been taken to live with friends in Delaware following some of his own issues involving Secret Service agents and White House personnel. Willow, the family’s cat, is another pet. A Secret Service agent informed coworkers by email on November 3, 2022, that Commander had bit a uniformed officer twice, on the upper right arm and leg. After attending to the officer, the White House medical staff decided that the person should be brought to the hospital.
The cop who was bitten used a steel cart to defend himself from further attacks
Later on that day, a captain of the Uniform Division sent an email to say that he had learned that the commander had all of his shots. The cop who was bitten used a steel cart to defend himself from further attacks, according to a note that was posted the day after the attack. On the instructions of the doctor, the officer was afterward put on restricted duty for a number of days. As well as creating designated locations where Commander may run around for exercise, Alexander claimed that the Bidens have been collaborating with the Secret Service and the White House staff “on additional leashing protocols and training” for Commander.
“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,” Alexander added. Guglielmi said Secret Service employees are encouraged to report job-related injuries to their immediate supervisors for appropriate documentation. “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,” 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,” Guglielmi added.