White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Joe Biden’s dog, Commander, bites over the stressful environment at Tuesday’s press briefing.
The president’s German Shepherd sent a Secret Service officer to the hospital and six other individuals in the White House after aggressively biting them.
“As you all know, the White House complex can be unique and very stressful,” Jean-Pierre said. “That is something I’m sure you all can understand and it is, as I just said, it is unique and it is stressful for all of us, so you can imagine what it’s like for a family pet and family pets more broadly.”
The press secretary said the Biden family is working to deal with the issue by partnering with the Secret Service and resident staff about leashing protocols and training and to create designated areas for Commander to exercise. (RELATED: Biden’s Dogs Champ And Major Will Return From Delaware Exile After Alleged White House Biting Incident)
Jean-Pierre did not specify what made the White House so stressful for the presidential pooch, but a New York Times report published in May based on interviews with more than two dozen former and current Biden staffers described him as “a president with a short fuse” who is “prone to flares of impatience.”
A request through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) produced 194 pages detailing Commander’s aggression. One email from a Secret Service officer on Nov. 5 stated that “if it wasn’t their dog it would have already been put down.”
Commander has reportedly charged and circled at Secret Service agents without First Lady Jill Biden or anyone else being able to regain control, according to the documents. He bit an officer in the Rose Garden on Oct. 3 and bit an ERT officer on October 5 in the “arm and wrist area.” He bit other officers in the Rose Garden on Nov. 10 and Dec. 11, and during walks on Dec. 16 and Dec. 24.
The Bidens’ second German Shepherd, Major, also was the subject of a biting incident and forced the family to send him and their former dog, Champ, back to the president’s private home in Wilmington, Delaware, in 2021. The dogs returned to the White House shortly after, and Major bit a National Park Service employee a few days later. In Dec. 2021, Major was sent to live permanently with family friends as the Bidens adopted their new puppy, Commander.