Serial biter.
Commander, Joe Biden's German shepherd removed from the White House in October, had bitten members of the American president's security service at least 24 times, reveals a report from the American secret services relayed by CNN and the BBC this Thursday, February 22.
The revealed documents are largely censored to protect the identity of Secret Service agents and the secrecy of their security procedures, but reveal the extent of the problem generated by the canine within the White House.
Security officers had to adapt their surveillance techniques
At least 24 bite-related incidents occurred between October 2022 and July 2023. Secret Service members were bitten on the wrist, forearm, elbow, waist, chest, thigh and at the shoulder.
These attacks had repercussions on the surveillance of the American president, since instructions had been given to the agents to “give a lot of space” to the dog and to adapt their protection strategies accordingly.
In an e-mail, an agent even explained that agents serving the president had to be “creative to ensure their own security.”
Additionally, these documents are not necessarily exhaustive since they do not record all incidents related to the Commander dog: they only concern those related to the Secret Service and not other people working at the White House or Camp David staff. , in Maryland, vacation home of the American president.
Joe and Jill Biden 'apologized'
The Biden couple were very affected by having to take this measure with regard to Commander: “They were heartbroken.
They apologized to the people who were bitten, brought flowers to some of them.
They feel very bad.
Commander was overprotective, and even though they kept trying to fix it, they had to let him go live with other members of their family,” a source close to the presidency told CNN.
This German shepherd was given to the Bidens in December 2021 when he was still a puppy.
He succeeded Champ, the family's historic German shepherd who died earlier in the year, at the age of 12.
Another German shepherd of the couple, Major, had already had to be transferred the same year to Delaware, to friends of Joe Biden, after having also been involved in cases of biting at the White House.