President Biden’s dog, Commander, reportedly bit and attacked numerous U.S. Secret Service (USSS) personnel in at least 24 incidents between October 2022 and July 2023, before he was ultimately removed from the White House campus.
Newly released internal USSS documents posted publicly by The Black Vault and obtained by Fox News Digital, reveal at least 24 incidents in which the German shepherd bit or attempted to bite Secret Service staff members or others.
In the first incident documented, the USSS member reported holding a door open to the Palm Room on the West Colonnade side, when Biden took Commander out to the South Grounds.
“Commander and POTUS were entering the Palm Room through the West Colonnade. Commander came in first, circled back and grabbed my left arm,” the report read. “He then stood up and back down. He is literally my height, standing.”
BIDEN’S DOG, COMMANDER, REMOVED FROM WHITE HOUSE AFTER SERIES OF BITING INCIDENTS
Commander, President Joe Biden’s dog, looks on as Biden departs on the south lawn of the White House, June 25, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images / File)
The president entered shortly after the dog grabbed the agent’s arm, which was not punctured.
Incidents with the dog began to stack up, documents show, with family pet altercations taking place in locations such as the White House, Wilmington, Delaware, Camp David, and Biden’s beach house in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
On Dec. 23, 2022, the first family was returning from the tennis pavilion, when Commander attacked a staff member on the left forearm, though fortunately, the person was wearing multiple layers of clothing, and the dog did not leave any marks.
Then, on June 11, 2023, an agent was bitten by the family pet when first lady Jill Biden moved from the Cabana to the Oval Dining Room. Documents show the agent held the door to the dining room for the first lady, when Commander jumped onto the agent and bit his chest, tearing the agent’s shirt and leaving two small lacerations.
BIDEN’S DOG, COMMANDER, TERRORIZED SECRET SERVICE IN ‘EXTREMELY AGGRESSIVE’ RAMPAGE: EMAILS
The Biden family dog, Commander, attacked a Secret Service agent on June 11, jumping on the agent’s chest and biting into the chest area, tearing the agent’s shirt and leaving two small lacerations. (U.S. Secret Service)
Three days later, the USSS emailed staff seeking to document all incidents pertaining to altercations with the first dog.
On June 15, 2023, another agent was attacked, this time on the left arm, and requiring stitches. The injury was so bad that tours of the East Wing were stopped for 20 minutes to allow staff members time to clean up blood from the floor.
The USSS then sent another email out to team members about dealing with Commander.
BIDEN’S DOG MAJOR BITES ANOTHER WHITE HOUSE EMPLOYEE
New York Times opinion writer Frank Bruni accused President Biden of failing his German shepherd “Commander,” who bit Secret Service members 11 times while in the White House. (AP Photo / Carolyn Kaster / File)
“The recent dog bites have challenged us to adjust our operational tactics when Commander is present — please give lots of room (staying a terrain feature away if possible),” the email from June 29, 2023 read. “We will continue to keep [redaction] in our sight but must be creative to ensure our own personal safety.”
A month later, on July 29, 2023, Commander attacked an agent working on a temporary assignment in Rehoboth Beach, at the Biden’s beach house.
Commander was running loose on the backyard patio of the property at the time of the attack when he started barking. The agent reported hearing who he believed was the first lady, when Commander ran toward the agent and bit the agent in the left forearm.
The bite created a “severe deep open wound,” resulting in significant blood loss. After the incident, the agent was treated and received six stitches in the left forearm and antibiotics for the wound.
BIDEN’S DOG, MAJOR, BIT SECRET SERVICE MEMBERS FOR 8 DAYS IN A ROW, EMAIL SAYS
President Biden walks through the neighborhood with his new dog Commander in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, Dec. 28, 2021. (Saul Loeb / AFP via Getty Images / File)
By September 2023, the German shepherd had been removed from the White House campus.
“The U.S. Secret Service takes the safety and well-being of our employees extremely seriously, and has been navigating how best to operate in an environment that includes family pets for many Presidential administrations,” Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications for the Secret Service, told Fox News Digital. “The incidents involving Commander were treated as workplace injuries, with events documented in accordance with Secret Service and US Department of Homeland Security guidelines.
“While Secret Service personnel neither handle nor care for the first family’s pets, we work continuously with all applicable entities in order to minimize any adverse impacts from family pets.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Elizabeth Alexander, a spokesperson for the first lady, said the Bidens care deeply about the safety and those who work at the White House to protect them every day.
“Despite additional dog training, leashing, working with veterinarians, and consulting with animal behaviorists, the White House environment simply proved too much for Commander. Since the fall, he has lived with other family members,” Alexander said.
Commander’s arrival at the White House came after the Biden’s got rid of their prior dog, Major, who also behaved aggressively, including biting Secret Service and White House staff.
They eventually sent the dog, also a German shepherd, to live with friends in Delaware.
Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
