Biden’s dog, Commander, bit Secret Service officers ten times resulting in one officer needing a hospital visit, per DHS records.
These bites happened between October 2022 and January. On Tuesday, the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch released nearly 200 pages of Secret Service records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Jill Biden Expresses Pride In The US Return To UNESCO
The group said it filed suit after the agency, a division of DHS, “failed to respond adequately” to its request last December for records about biting incidents involving the purebred German Shepherd Dog.
The group filed the request after receiving a tip about Commander’s behavior.
The White House and the Secret Service seemed to make light of the circumstance 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.”
Anthony Guglielmi, the chief spokesperson for the Secret Service, said in a separate email that his agency has, for several past presidents, “navigated how best to operate around family pets, and these incidents are no exception. We take the safety and well-being of our employees extremely seriously.”
The Secret Service provides security assurance to the president and his family, and scores of its officials are posted around the chief house and its rambling grounds.
Biden received Commander in December 2021 as a gift from his brother James. The president’s previous dog, another German shepherd named Major, had been sent to live with friends in Delaware after some biting incidents of his own involving Secret Service officers and White House staff.
The family also has a cat, Willow.
On November 3, 2022, a Secret Service official emailed colleagues that the Commander had bitten a uniformed officer twice — on the upper right arm and thigh.
The White House medical unit staff treated the officer and decided to have the individual taken to a hospital.
A captain of the Uniform Division emailed later that day that he had been advised that Biden’s dog, Commander was up to date on his vaccinations.
A note the following day added details about the attack, including that the officer who was bitten used a steel cart to protect himself from another attack. The officer was later placed on several days of restricted duty based on doctors’ advice.
Alexander said the Bidens have been working with the Secret Service and the White House residence staff “on additional leashing protocols and training” for Commander and establishing designated areas where he can run around for exercise.
“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.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Involved In Car Crash In Tennessee, Remains Uninjured
“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.
Commander is often seen being handled by the White House’s chief groundskeeper.
