Pooch Troubles: Why Joe Biden has moved his dog Commander from the White House

US president Joe Biden is sending his dog away from White House. Commander, who arrived in the White House in 2021, couldn’t stop from biting White House officials, which has become an issue of concern for the First Family. Most recently, he bit a Secret Service officer on 25 September. Threat to White House workers safety According to a White House spokesperson, the Bidens have sent the two-year-old German Shepherd to an unknown location while they look at “next steps” for the presidential pooch. The announcement came after CNN and Axios reported that Commander, who arrived at the White House as a cute pup in 2021, had been involved in more biting incidents than previously known. The Secret Service had acknowledged that 11 of its agents had been nipped, but CNN said the actual number was higher and that the dog had bitten other White House workers too. [caption id=“attachment_13205302” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The Secret Service had acknowledged that 11 of its agents had been nipped by Bidens’ dog, Commander. Image Courtesy: @bennyjohnson/X[/caption] “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,” Elizabeth Alexander, communications director for Biden’s wife Jill, said in a statement. “They remain grateful for the patience and support of the US Secret Service and all involved, as they continue to work through solutions. “Commander is not presently on the White House campus while next steps are evaluated.” There were no further details of Commander’s location, or whether the move was permanent. German shepherd needs guardian The last time Commander was seen at the White House was on 30 September, when photographers spotted him on the Truman balcony of the president’s private quarters. The Bidens have previously blamed the “stressful” environment at the White House for the rambunctious behaviour of their pets. The lack of consistency could be part of the behavioural problem, Ryan Bulson, a local dog trainer and president of Mid-Atlantic German Shepherd Rescue, told CNN. “It’s a German shepherd. They need structure. They need consistency. They need boundaries. They are a guardian breed…,” Ryan said pointing to the different tensions and distances with which the different walkers would leash the dog. [caption id=“attachment_13205272” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The last time Commander was seen at the White House was on 30 September, when photographers spotted him on the Truman balcony of the president’s private quarters. Reuters[/caption] As the number of instances involving Commander grows, Kathy Hessler, assistant dean for animal legal education at George Washington University Law School, warns that the matter cannot be disregarded for the sake of the dog, White House workers, and the Biden family. She told CNN, “I think the simple thing would be to remove Commander from that environment, at least temporarily, to see if these behaviours can be ameliorated, if they’re repeating in a different situation — so that people can get more data upon which they can make an informed decision about whether this is going to work, or whether some different decisions need to be taken for the benefit of everybody.” Commander is the second of the Biden’s dogs to be sent away from the White House for biting, after another German Shepherd, Major, was dispatched to live with family friends in Delaware. The Bidens’ beloved dog Champ died in 2021 at the age of 13. The First Family introduced Commander amid great fanfare in December 2021, with Biden tweeting “Welcome to the White House” along with a photo of the puppy running with a tennis ball in his mouth. Growing biting incidents Despite White House assurances that Commander would be trained, the biting occurrences continued. A person close to Secret Service told CNN that working under the presence of White House’ pet was ‘hostile’ and ‘dangerous.’ He added that some agents have been warned to go through certain entrances and avoid certain areas to evade an interaction with the dog. The Secret Service used to communicate to its agents via radio when the dog is outdoors. The severity of the bites documented has grown overtime. One of the biting episodes last October was described as ‘playful,’ while another in November required a Uniformed Division USSS officer to be treated at a hospital. And last week’s incident required treatment by medical personnel on the White House complex. With inputs from AFP