NEWS AND COMMENT: it is astonishing to read in The Times today that President Biden's dog, Commander, bit Secret Service agents 24 times in all before the dog was removed from the White House. The number of bites may be higher if all staff are included.
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| Commander. Photo believed to be in the public domain. |
The Times reports that, "For members of the Secret Service guarding President Biden, the most crucial weapon to protect themselves was not a gun but a bag of dog biscuits!"
The newspaper reports that one agent required six stitches to his hand after Biden's two year old German shepherd, Commander, bit him.
After that encounter, the agent was given a "care package" for "safety purposes". The care package included pepper spray, a muzzle and dog treats!
The world now knows that Commander was banished from the White House last October to an undisclosed location after reports of 11 similar encounters.
But now newly released documents reveal that he bit agents at least 24 times.
The documented reports cover the period October 2022-July 2023 and they only cover members of the Secret Service rather than all of President Biden's staff. This indicates that the true number of aggressively/defensive encounters could be far higher.
There are apparently 400 pages of documents. They show that many of the agents required treatment after incidents at various locations including at the White House, Camp David in Maryland and at the President's family home in Delaware.
One unnamed agent wrote in June 2023 that, "the recent dog bites have challenged us to adjust our operational tactics when Commander is present. Please give lots of room."
Colleagues were warned that they must be creative "to ensure our own personal safety."
The Bidens were apparently heartbroken according to a source by the frequency of the incidents. The source said that:
"They've apologised to those who have been bitten, taken flowers to some. They feel awful. Commander was overprotective. Even though they tried and tried to work on it, they had to let him go [and] live with other members of their family."
It didn't work out. And it is put down to the fact that the German Shepherd is a particularly protective dog of his pack i.e. the Biden family and he was living in a situation where there were lots of strangers coming and going which instinctively brought forth his protective nature.
It also clear to me that these attacks were not hugely violent but nips which broke the skin as indicated above. Commander isn't naturally aggressive but simply instinctively defending his pack.
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