Joe Biden’s dog was removed from the White House after it was revealed that he had bitten more people than the 12 officially named by the Secret Service. The removal marks the second time the Bidens have had to take in one of their beloved German Shepherds due to aggressive incidents .
Commander, a two-year-old German Shepherd, has bitten staff at the executive residence as well as White House staff. At least one person had to be treated in hospital.
On Wednesday, two sources told CNN that there had been far more biting incidents than officially reported.
Previously, published exclusive photos showing the dog biting the head of the White House grounds on September 13.
It has now been confirmed that Commander has been removed from the White House.
On Monday, White House aides blamed the unfriendly facial expressions of Secret Service agents for Commander’s biting problems and claimed the First Dog was normally friendly
“The president and first lady care deeply about the safety of those who work in the White House and those they protect every day,” Elizabeth Alexander, the first lady’s communications director, said in a statement first released to CNN became.
“They continue to be grateful for the patience and support of the U.S. Secret Service and all stakeholders as they continue to work toward solutions.”
“Commander is not currently on the White House campus while next steps are considered.”
White House sources claimed Monday that Commander targeted members of the president’s security detail because of their “unfriendly comments.”
But revealed that the two-year-old German Shepherd bit another employee almost two weeks ago.
The employee, Dale Haney, 71, is not part of Biden’s security team and was simply playing with the dog.
A photo obtained exclusively by shows Commander biting another White House staffer last month
The incident, which was accidentally captured on camera by a tourist taking photos on September 13, shows the 2-year-old German Shepherd sinking his teeth into the left arm of groundskeeper Dale Haney
The images emerged after it was reported Monday that Commander bit a Secret Service agent who later required medical attention
Images obtained by show the dog sinking its teeth into the arm of Haney, the White House grounds manager, who is wearing a lanyard, in the White House gardens on September 13.
The moment was captured by a tourist in the White House gift shop who, while photographing the dog, accidentally captured the bite on camera.
The visitor, who did not want to be named, recalled: “I actually just wanted to take a photo of the dog; after all, that’s the next best thing to seeing the president.”
“Commander was jumping around. He seemed very lively, spirited and playful. He is a good looking dog.
“I only realized later that he had actually bitten the groundskeeper who was outside with him when I saw the picture of his teeth clearly encircling the man’s wrist and arm.”
Haney, who has worked at the White House for more than 50 years, often walks the president’s pets on the grounds, starting with Richard Nixon’s Irish setter, King Timahoe.
A photo agency published a picture of him walking with the commander in August last year.
The attack came to light just days after reports surfaced that the president’s pet had bitten a Secret Service agent last Monday, leading the agent to seek medical attention.
Visitors touring the complex had watched from the gift shop as the dog suddenly became aggressive
The witness, who did not want to be named, said Commander otherwise appeared “lively” and “cocky.”
Haney is now the superintendent of the White House grounds, having been hired as a gardener in 1972. In August 2022, he is seen walking Commander on the South Grounds of the White House
At this point, it was the eleventh known bite incident involving the two-year-old German Shepherd.
Today can reveal it’s the 12th.
And while White House sources blame the president’s protectors and claim that “everyone” loves the “ever-so-friendly” commander, the victim in this case was not an armed member of the president’s security detail, but a groundskeeper.
The witness said: “Maybe it was intended as a playful joke, but it’s excessive to behave like that. “To me that’s a bite.”
The commander’s most serious attack occurred in November 2022, when an officer was hospitalized after the animal attacked his arms and thighs.
Emails obtained by the conservative group Judicial Watch through a Freedom of Information Act request show the incident was one of 10 incidents over a four-month period.
This came just a month after staff warned of the risk of attack after First Lady Jill Biden “failed to regain control of the animal” as it attacked a Secret Service employee.
“I believe it is only a matter of time before an agent/officer is attacked or bitten,” the employee warned in an October 2022 email.
Commander is one of three German Shepherds who lived with the Bidens during Joe’s term
President Joe Biden had entered the White House with two German Shepherds, Champ – who died in 2021 – and Major, who was removed this year
White House officials said in July that the Bidens were working on new training and leash-walking protocols for the family pet following the incidents.
Last week, Elizabeth Alexander, the first lady’s communications director, said in a statement: “The First Family continues to work to support Commanders as they navigate the often unpredictable nature of the White House grounds.”
The First Family’s senior dog, Major — a five-year-old rescued German Shepherd from a Delaware shelter — was removed from the White House after a series of aggressive incidents, including biting Secret Service and National Park Service employees.
The Bidens eventually had Major placed with friends in Delaware, saying he was a “sweet dog” by nature and citing the “stress” of living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue as the cause of his aggression.
Commander joined the First Family in December 2021 as a birthday gift to the President from his brother Jim Biden and his wife
Haney has taken on the responsibility of leading First Dogs over the years. In 2009, he put Barack Obama’s Portuguese water dog Bo on a leash
Haney joined first lady Jill Biden and the president’s granddaughter Maisy, who accompanied Major and Champ, less than three weeks into the Biden presidency
Commander, who was a birthday present to the President from James and Sara Biden, his brother and sister-in-law, came to the White House for the first time on December 20, 2021.
But speaking to CNN last week, former USSS agent Jonathan Wackrow called the dog’s biting attacks a “significant threat” that needed to be addressed.
He said: “There is something unique here where the President of the United States resides, but it is also the workplace for hundreds, thousands of people.”
“And you can’t bring danger into the workplace.” And that’s essentially what’s happening with this dog.
“At one point you can say it was an accident, but now that there are multiple incidents, it is a serious problem.”