So Biden’s Dog Is Just Allowed to Bite People Now?

Photo: Yuri Gripas/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Back in July, we learned that Joe Biden’s dog, Commander, had taken up a new hobby: rampantly biting humans. Email correspondence obtained by the conservative group Judicial Watch using the Freedom of Information Act revealed that the 2-year-old German shepherd had been involved in at least ten reported biting incidents since arriving at the White House in late 2021, including biting one Secret Service member so badly that they were sent to the hospital.

At the time, I assumed Commander’s days in the White House were numbered. Months earlier, Commander’s predecessor, Major, had been rehomed with the Bidens’ family friends after biting a mere two people. But I lost track of the story as I was distracted by more consequential political news. (Also, I only care about First Cat Willow Biden, who is, by all accounts, a perfect angel.)

So I was shocked to learn this week that Commander Biden still lives in the White House and is still on a biting spree. A member of the Secret Service was bitten on Monday evening, marking the 11th Commander-related injury at the White House and Biden’s Delaware home.

“Yesterday around 8 p.m., a Secret Service Uniformed Division police officer came in contact with a First Family pet and was bitten,” Steven Kopek, a Secret Service spokesman, said on Tuesday. “The officer was treated by medical personnel on complex.”

So what happens now? Apparently, nothing! Kopek said the officer is doing well, but the White House shared no further details on the incident. According to the New York Times, the response from First Lady Jill Biden’s team was basically “Like we said, Commander is going through a lot right now”:

… aides to Jill Biden, the first lady, have said that the episodes are the result of the stress the dogs feel from being at the White House.

“As we’ve noted before, the White House can be a stressful environment for family pets, and the first family continues to work on ways to help Commander handle the often unpredictable nature of the White House grounds,” said Elizabeth Alexander, the communications director for Dr. Biden.

Ms. Alexander said that the “president and first lady are incredibly grateful to the Secret Service and executive residence staff for all they do to keep them, their family and the country safe.”

I understand that the Bidens love Commander and he may be a good dog thrust into a bad situation. But maybe a good way to show your gratitude to the Secret Service is to remove the threat of random canine attacks in the workplace? When your dog bites someone, shrugging and saying, “Yeah, he does that sometimes,” isn’t an acceptable answer, even if you’re the president.