Joe Biden’s dog Commander has been taken out of the White House following a series of biting incidents, according to first ladyJill Biden’s spokesperson.
Elizabeth Alexander, the first lady’s communications director said on Wednesday that “Commander is not presently on the White House campus while next steps are evaluated”.
She said in an emailed statement: “They (president Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden) remain grateful for the patience and support of the US Secret Service and all involved, as they continue to work through solutions.”
It remains unclear where two-year-old German Shephard was sent.
This comes soon after the dog bit a Secret Service agent in September, one of the latest in several similar 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,” Ms Alexander said.
CNN reported that Commander was involved in more biting incidents than was previously reported at the White House. Although the US Secret Service has officially acknowledged 11 reported biting incidents involving its personnel, sources speaking to CNN claimed the actual count was higher. This includes cases involving executive residence staff and other White House workers.
“The Secret Service is tasked with ensuring the security of the White House complex while minimising operational impact to those who work and live there. We take the safety and well-being of our employees extremely seriously, and while special agents and officers neither care for nor handle the first family’s pets, we continue to work with the White House to update our guidance on how to best operate in an environment that includes pets,” US Secret Service chief of communications Anthony Guglielmi told CNN.
The German Shephard was a gift to Mr Biden from his brother James Biden in December 2021.
Commander is the second of Bidens’ dogs at the White House to display aggressive behaviour. Their first dog – another German Shepherd named Major – was also sent to Delaware after exhibiting aggressive behaviour.
The statement from Ms Alexander came hours after White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked at her briefing about another allegation that Commander had bitten a White House staffer, reported the Associated Press.
Jean-Pierre referred questions to the first lady’s office, which said Commander and Dale Haney, the head groundskeeper at the White House, were playing and that no skin was broken in an incident that was photographed by a tourist and shared with a news organization, which published the image online.
