Who was answerable for the savagery? Commander, the German shepherd owned by President Biden and his household. The canine was answerable for at the least two dozen separate biting assaults on Secret Service brokers over the course of a yr ending final October, when Commander lastly was exiled from the White House to dwell with different members of the primary household.
The assaults are described in excruciating element in Secret Service paperwork made public final week in response to a Freedom of Information Act requests from CNN and the Black Vault, a web site that publishes unclassified authorities paperwork. In non-public emails between Secret Service brokers, a few of whom have been chunk victims, it’s clear that members of the protecting group felt threatened by Commander and have been sick with nervousness that somebody can be very significantly damage. In a memo from October 2022, an unnamed Secret Service technician described a biting incident and stated they have been “worried about the family pets behavior escalating and that … something worse was going to happen to others.”
Last June, in accordance with the report, blood was spilled after Commander ran towards a Secret Service agent and sank his enamel into the agent’s left arm, leaving a wound that required stitches. An account of the incident states that “East Wing tours were stopped for approximately 20 minutes due to blood from the incident being on the floors.” Apparently, there’s a video of the attack, nevertheless it hasn’t been launched.
Then, in July, in accordance with one of many company emails, Commander attacked an unnamed particular agent from the presidential protecting division’s counter-surveillance unit who was in Rehoboth, Del., to offer safety protection for the Bidens throughout their keep within the beachfront group. As the agent walked to a yard safety submit, in accordance with the e-mail, Commander began to bark. However, the agent didn’t understand Commander was “loose and off leash.” What occurred subsequent, in accordance with the report, is that this:
“In the background SA (redacted) heard the voice of what (redacted) believes to be FLOTUS Dr. Jill Biden 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 agent obtained six stitches to his arm and antibiotics from the White House medical unit. Another Secret Service agent bitten by Commander within the fall of 2022 wanted hospital remedy.
Commander had already been responsible of different biting incidents on prime of those revealed final week — and he’s not the one dangerous actor within the Biden canine pack. Major, a German shepherd the Bidens rescued, additionally attacked an agent and a National Park Service worker. Major was banished from the White House in late 2021 and despatched to dwell with pals of the Bidens in Delaware. The Bidens apparently tried to maintain the dogs below tighter supervision and sought remedial retraining, however to no avail. In the paperwork, brokers complained that the dogs, even after being placed on supposed excessive watch, would typically seem out of nowhere or be roaming round unsupervised. Indeed, simply days after Commander was permitted to return to the White House, he bit one other person. Finally, final fall, he was despatched away for good.
I’m a credentialed canine lover and first approached these paperwork with empathy for the Bidens and deep sympathy for the bitten brokers. I’ve owned and tried my greatest to coach 4 dogs. I wrote a canine weblog documenting my experiences, each joyful and hair-raising, with a Golden Retriever puppy. Those experiences expanded right into a e book, “The Puppy Diaries,” revealed in 2011. Some of my dogs have displayed aggressive tendencies now and again, however none have been biters. Indeed, on the first severe growls — lengthy earlier than any biting threatened to happen — I referred to as in trainers.
With the spirited Golden, I employed two trainers. The first used solely constructive reinforcement strategies and achieved solely modest outcomes, equivalent to getting the puppy to cease consuming my husband’s glasses. The different was referred to as in after repeated, embarrassing episodes of leash aggression. This coach was a lot firmer. In truth, he had labored for the New York City Police Department because the power’s official canine coach.
I’ve by no means needed to relinquish possession of a pet. (Though I admit, when my youngsters have been small, I used to be sorely tempted to go away the hamster cage door open to the weather a couple of times.) It have to be extremely painful to should banish a canine.
An unnamed Biden good friend is quoted in final week’s information protection describing the primary couple as “heartbroken” concerning the biting incidents. (“Heartbroken” is a time period the Bidens have used to explain their reactions to U.S. army casualties, lethal pure disasters and the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.)
Elizabeth Alexander, first woman Jill Biden’s communications director, gave a press release final week to CNN. She stated the household repeatedly tried to get a deal with on the canine state of affairs. Commander joined the Biden household as a puppy in December 2021.
“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,” Alexander stated. “Despite additional dog training, leashing, working with veterinarians, and consulting with animal behaviorists, the White House environment simply proved too much for Commander.”
The White House does seem like a problem for dogs, particularly German shepherds. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s canine, additionally named Major and likewise a German shepherd, bit Sen. Hattie Caraway (D-Ark.) and attacked British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald, tearing MacDonald’s pants. President Theodore Roosevelt had a bull terrier named Pete who bit quite a few individuals, even tearing the pants off the French ambassador.
But as I waded via the gory particulars of all these biting incidents, my empathy for the Bidens light. Put plainly, these paperwork are a harrowing narrative of pet possession in excessive locations run dangerously amok. Two dogs belonging to the identical household have been each serial biters and needed to be exiled. At some level, the difficulty shouldn’t be the animals — it’s the homeowners.
