Commander, the eager dog of US President Joe Biden. — © The Washington Post via Getty Im
The Secret Service agents, whose job it is to protect Joe Biden, have a formidable opponent. Commander, the US president’s dog, has bitten them “at least” 24 times, a new report shows.
Commander, a German shepherd, was forced to leave the White House last October, a week after inflicting a “severe bite” on one of the presidential bodyguards. But that was far from the only incident in which President Biden’s dog had already been involved, according to a newly released report. A few months earlier, Commander was also said to have been responsible for a “deep bite” in an officer’s forearm, which required several stitches. The blood on the floor even led to the East Wing of the White House having to be closed off for a time.
At least 24 biting incidents reportedly occurred between October 2022 and July 2023, with several Secret Service members bitten on the wrist, forearm, elbow, waist, chest, thigh and shoulder.
More incidents are likely related to the German Shepherd, as this report only covers Secret Service members and not other people working in the White House or on the staff at Camp David in Maryland. “The recent bites have forced us to adjust our tactics when the dog is present,” one of the officers said. “We try to give the president a little more space at such moments.”