One of President Biden’s canine has bitten a number of Secret Service brokers, and even despatched one to the hospital, a part of a sequence of at the very least 10 incidents of “aggressive behavior,” based on inner emails lately obtained by a conservative watchdog group.
The correspondence exhibits that Commander, the almost 2-year-old German shepherd, has struggled to regulate to life on the White House, the place he arrived in 2021, and Delaware, the place the Bidens personal two properties.
Early in November 2022, as an example, officers on the White House medical staff selected to ship an officer whom Commander had bitten on the arm and thigh to the hospital, based on the emails obtained by Judicial Watch, a Washington-based conservative group.
Just per week later, whereas strolling with Jill Biden, the primary girl, Commander bit an agent on the left thigh. That similar month, one other agent was left “shaken,” based on the emails, when he felt the necessity to hoist up the chair he was sitting on to make use of as a defend when Commander started barking at him from the highest of a White House staircase.
Six of the incidents have been bites that resulted in some type of medical consideration, based on the emails, which have been despatched between October 2022 and January 2023. Agents performed down different aggressive incidents wherein Commander didn’t puncture pores and skin or was relatively “playful.”
He just isn’t the primary of Mr. Biden’s canine to misbehave. In March 2021, the Bidens shipped two different canine, Champ and Major, to Delaware for about two weeks of coaching after Major, a shelter canine, had what was described as a “biting incident” with a White House workers member. Champ died later that yr.
The Bidens have partnered with the Secret Service for “additional leashing protocols and training” to rein in Commander, based on Elizabeth Alexander, a White House spokeswoman.
“The White House complex is a unique and often stressful environment for family pets, and the first family is working through ways to make this situation better for everyone,” Ms. Alexander stated in a press release.
Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for the Secret Service, stated the company just isn’t accountable for coaching the primary household’s canine. Executive residence workers deal with strolling the canine, with brokers sometimes following shut behind, he stated.
“While special agents and officers neither care for nor handle the first family’s pets, we continuously work with all applicable entities to minimize adverse impacts in an environment that includes pets,” he stated. It is unclear how a lot formal coaching Commander has obtained.
The White House has established designated areas for Commander to run and train. The canine was seen strolling alongside White House grounds and relieving himself on Tuesday.
“According to the Secret Service, each incident referenced was treated similarly to comparable workplace injuries, with relevant notifications and reporting procedures followed,” Ms. Alexander stated.
Source: www.nytimes.com