The shepherd Commander, born September 1, 2021, is owned by US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. When the family dog lived in the White House residence in Washington, neither staff nor bodyguards were safe.
According to new documents, Commander should have bitten American Secret Service agents on at least 24 different occasions between October 2022 and July 2023. Agents should have been bitten on the wrists, forearms, elbows, waists, chest, thighs and shoulders.
BBC have seen the documents and believe that more potential bit attacks may have taken place, the documents did not register other staff working in the White House.
Bite attacks by Joe Biden’s dog
Warnings came months before the German shepherd was forced to move out of the president’s residence in October 2023. The pet was removed just a week after an agent needed treatment for a serious bite.
Another incident in July resulted in a “deep bite” to an agent’s forearm – which required stitches. According to the document, tours of the building’s east flights were interrupted for 20 minutes due to blood on the floor.
In July, another colleague was badly bitten on the hand. A bite that caused a “deep open wound”. The agent is also said to have “lost a significant amount of blood”. An injury that reportedly required a total of six stitches.
White House staffers were warned
A senior agent reportedly warned other agents about Joe Biden’s family dog. Among other things, they were advised to keep their distance.
“Recent dog bites have challenged us to adjust our operational tactics when Commander is present – please keep your distance,” the senior agent wrote, according to the BBC.