Commander, the first family’s German shepherd, bit another U.S. Secret Service agent while President Joe Biden was walking him around the White House grounds last fall, according to newly released records, United Press International reported.
Biden was walking the dog in the Kennedy Garden on Sept. 12, 2023, when Commander bit a Secret Service agent who approached the president to help him with something, according to the records obtained by Judicial Watch and reviewed by ABC News.
“As I started to walk toward him to see if he needed help, Commander ran through his legs and bit my left arm through the front of my jacket. I pulled my arm away and yelled no,” according to an email sent from an unnamed agent. “When turning to close the door, Commander jumped again and bit my left arm for the second time.”
While his coat had a bite mark on it, the dog did not break the agent’s skin.
The emails were part of a lawsuit filed by Judicial Watch that sought U.S. Secret Service emails via a Freedom of Information Act. The fact that this agent was bit by Commander was first revealed by the emails granted in the lawsuit.
Between October 2022 and January 2023, Commander had bitten or attacked Secret Service personnel at least 10 times, The Guardian reported. One officer had to be taken to the hospital for treatment, according to the Department of Homeland Security records.
A second dog owned by the first family, Major, has also bit Secret Service agents. He was sent to live with Biden family friends in Delaware. Major is also a German shepherd.
Commander was moved from the White House in October, according to ABC News.
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