President Biden’s dog involved in biting incidents with Secret Service agents and officers, records show

Dogs may be man’s best friend, but that courtesy doesn’t seem to extend to the Secret Service.

President Biden's dog Commander has bitten multiple Secret Service agents and officers, according to records from the Department of Homeland Security obtained by the conservative group Judicial Watch.

The group, which sued the Department of Homeland Security in order to get the records connected to dog bites, says there have been 10 attacks between October 2022 and January 2023, adding multiple agents “required medical care, including at a hospital.” The Secret Service also said there have been no biting episodes for several months. The agency also does not handle, care for or walk presidential pets.

Commander is a 2-year-old German shepherd the Bidens adopted in 2021.

Judicial Watch also reports the Biden’s previous German shepherd, Major, was given to family friends following a series of attacks on members of the Secret Service and White House workers. The Bidens also had another dog, Champ, who died in 2021.

One email states Commander bit an officer “two times, one time in the upper right arm and a second bite on the officer’s thigh,” with the White House medical unit electing to send the victim to the hospital.

In October 2022, another officer sent a colleague an email expressing concern about the dog.

“Commander has been exhibiting extremely aggressive behavior,” the officer wrote. “Today, while posted, he came charging at me. The First Lady couldn’t regain control of commander [sic] and he continued to circle me. I believe it’s only a matter of time before an agent/officer is attacked or bit.”

In a Christmas Eve email exchange, a Secret Service inspector wrote to a co-worker about an incident the day before.

“I attended officials roll call [redacted] this afternoon,” the inspector wrote. “The dog bite issue came up again today…. Apparently, Officer [redacted] was bitten while posted at [redacted] yesterday. Nearly every official in the room with me today spoke about specific incidents surrounding the First Family’s dog.”

“For the past several Presidential administrations, the Secret Services has navigated how to best operate around family pets and these incidents are no exception,” Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement.

“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 added.

First lady Jill Biden is also aware of the episodes.

“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,” her communications director, Elizabeth Alexander, said in a statement.

“They have been partnering with the Secret Service and Executive Residence staff on additional leashing protocols and training, as well as establishing designated areas for Commander to run and exercise. According to the Secret Service, each incident referenced was treated similarly to comparable workplace injuries, with relevant notifications and reporting procedures followed.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com