President Joe Biden’s dog Commander is no longer at the White House after a series of biting incidents.
The whereabouts of the 2-year-old German shepherd are unknown. He was last seen on a White House balcony on Saturday, The Associated Press reported.
It is also not known if the dog will return to the White House, The New York Times reported.
Elizabeth Alexander, first lady Jill Biden’s communication director, said the president and his wife care deeply about the safety of White House staff.
The dog has bitten several staff members and U.S. Secret Service officers.
The agents are not responsible for the care of the pets but they interact with them as they protect the president and his family, The New York Times reported.
“They remain grateful for the patience and support of the U.S. Secret Service and all involved, as they continue to work through solutions,” Alexander said in an emailed statement, to the AP. “Commander is not presently on the White House campus while next steps are evaluated.”
The first lady’s representatives said that Commander recently had bitten Dale Haney, the head White House groundskeeper, as they played. No skin was broken but the bite was captured in a photo taken by a tourist who shared it with a news organization.
A Secret Service officer was bitten on Sept. 25 at the White House and was treated by medical personnel on-site.
The AP reported that Commander has bitten or attacked Secret Service personnel at least 10 times between October 2022 and January. One injured member of law enforcement had to be taken to a hospital, according to Department of Homeland Security records.
The Washington Post reported that the incident happened in November 2022. The newspaper said an agent was bitten in the arm and thigh.
The Secret Service confirmed there have been 11 biting incidents involving its personnel, CNN reported. But there could be more, according to the news outlet.
Dog bites are required to be reported when injuries from them are treated at Washington, D.C.-area hospitals but the White House Medical Unit, which is under federal jurisdiction, is not required to report medically treated biting incidents, CNN reported.
Commander is not the first of the Biden family dogs who have been aggressive with White House staff or Secret Service personnel. Major, 3, was sent to live with friends of the first family in Delaware after incidents of aggression. He had bitten an engineer and a National Park Service employee, CNN reported in 2021.
German shepherds are loyal and are considered “gentle family pets” but may not welcome strangers, according to the American Kennel Club.
“For every German shepherd that acts inappropriately, you’re going to find many, many more who do the right thing every single day in service to mankind,” Vicki Bemont told the Post. Bemont is a dog trainer and a member of the German Shepherd Dog Club of America’s education committee.
The breed also needs consistency, another trainer told CNN.
“It’s a German shepherd. They need structure. They need consistency. They need boundaries. They are a guardian breed. … When you’re looking at different people holding that leash, I would guarantee that there is no consistency amongst all of them,” Ryan Bulson, president of Mid-Atlantic German Shepherd Rescue, told CNN.
Jill Biden had told Kelly Clarkson during a 2021 talk show appearance that the dogs had to get used to living at the White House.
“They have to take the elevator, they’re not used to that, and they have to go out on the South Lawn with lots of people watching them. So that’s what I’ve been obsessed with, getting everybody settled and calm,” the first lady said.
She added that she took the dogs for a walk when she was in Washington before going to school in the mornings, but residence staff were tasked with caring for Commander and the family’s cat, Willow, CNN reported.
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