What is it about Joe Biden that makes him drive beautiful, gentle dogs into violent rages?
Biden has kept three beautiful German Shepard dogs in the White House. Their 13-year-old dog Champ — by all reports and gentle and devoted friend — died in 2021, but the other two dogs — Major and Commander — have had to be removed from the White House following numerous biting incidents and other aggressive behavior.
Eventually, Major's aggressiveness forced Biden to send him away from the White House to live with family friends. The same day Major left in 2021, the puppy Commander arrived. Beginning in October 2022, Commander began his reign of terror.
CNN obtained 400 pages of documents from the Secret Service detailing at least 24 serious attacks by Commander on agency personnel and White House staff.
Perhaps the dogs sense something about Biden that most humans can't. Whatever the reason for their aggressive behavior, they have caused the Secret Service and White House staff a lot of trouble. Commander was also transferred out of the White House last October.
A source told CNN that the Bidens were "heartbroken" over the biting incidents.
“The president and first lady care deeply about the safety of those who work at the White House and those who protect them every day. Despite additional dog training, leashing, working with veterinarians, and consulting with animal behaviorists, the White House environment simply proved too much for Commander. Since the fall, he has lived with other family members,” Elizabeth Alexander, first lady Jill Biden’s communications director, said in a statement.
The Secret Service report says the dog-biting incidents were treated as "workplace injuries."
“While Secret Service personnel neither handle nor care for the first family’s pets, we work continuously with all applicable entities in order to minimize any adverse impacts from family pets,” Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesperson for the Secret Service, told CNN.
One incident involving a Secret Service agent illustrates the seriousness of the problem with Commander.
An unnamed special agent from the presidential protective division’s counter surveillance unit was providing security coverage in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, the report said. As the agent walked to a backyard security post, the agent heard Commander start to bark, the report said, but did not realize Commander was “loose and off leash.”
“In the background SA [redacted] heard the voice of what believes to be FLOTUS Dr. Jill Biden [redacted] yelling [redacted quote]. Commander ran toward the direction of post [redacted] booth and bit SA [redacted in the left forearm. Causing a severe deep open wound. As result of the attack SA [redacted] started to loose (sic) a significant amount of blood from [redacted] arm,” the report said.
The agent was treated on site by the White House medical unit and received six stitches to his left forearm, the report said, as well as antibiotics for the wound.
A CNN story from last October, shortly before Commander was sent away, reported, “We’re beyond the point of worrying about trust being broken. We have to speak up,” a source familiar with the president’s Secret Service detail said at the time.
That source, who requested anonymity to speak freely, described a “hostile” and “dangerous” work environment, suggesting that some agents have been warned to go through certain entrances and avoid certain areas to evade an interaction with the dog. The Secret Service communicates to its agents by radio when the dog is outdoors, and officers avoid the area.
Is it fair to try to make a big deal out of Biden's dogs biting people? Dogs often share the same personality traits as the alpha human in their "pack." Does this mean that Joe Biden is a mean, vicious man who lashes out at subordinates?
While the White House is a unique environment for a family dog to live in with hundreds of people going in and out, the Bidens could have done a much better job insulating their beloved pet from the stress and strangeness of their unique home. But then the political benefit of showing the president playing with Commander or Champ would have been lost.
The Bidens might love Champ and Commander. But did the dogs sense they were being used for an unknown purpose?
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