Commander bit the Secret Service agent last week. (File Photo)
US President Joe Biden’s dog Commander bit a Secret Service agent on Monday, the 11th such incident in a year, according to NBC News. The two-year-old purebred German Shepherd bit a female officer of the Uniformed Division and she was treated by the White House medical office, the outlet further said. Commander has been involved in nearly a dozen biting incident, which was disclosed in July this year by conservative group Judicial Watch. The group obtained the record through a lawsuit filed under Freedom of Information.
The latest incident took place last week, which the White House press secretary blamed on the stress of living at the US President’s official residence.
“As we’ve noted before, the White House can be a stressful environment for family pets, and the First Family continues to work on ways to help Commander handle the often unpredictable nature of the White House grounds,” the outlet quoted Elizabeth Alexander, the spokesperson, as saying on Tuesday.
“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,” she added.
Commander, who first arrived at the White House as a puppy in 2021, has undergone several rounds of training in the wake of these incidents.
In one of the incidents, First Lady Jill Biden “couldn’t regain control” of the young dog as he charged a Secret Service staff member, CNN had said in a report a few months ago.
The Bidens also had another dog named Major, who behaved aggressively. The family eventually sent the dog, also a German Shepherd, to live with friends on Delaware.
Mr Biden had attributed Major’s unpresidential behaviour to the way he gets surprised by Secret Service agents and others appearing around every corner in the busy White House complex.
The Bidens also have a cat – a short-haired tabby named Willow.
