President Joe Biden’s dog Commander bit US Secret Service agents on at least 24 occasions, new documents show.
Secret Service records show just how much trouble the German Shepherd caused for presidential bodyguards.
A senior agent said the bites meant the Secret Service had changed tactics, advising agents to “give a lot of space”.
The warning came months before Commander was fired from the White House.
The documents were revealed through Freedom of Information requests and posted online. They are heavily redacted to protect the identity of Secret Service agents and the secrecy of their security tactics.
They show at least 24 bite incidents that occurred between October 2022 and July 2023, including Secret Service members who were bitten on the wrist, forearm, elbow, waist, chest, thigh and shoulder.
The documents do not necessarily record all of the incidents of pain associated with Commander, as they only cover the Secret Service and not others who work at the White House or staff at Camp David in Maryland.
The Biden family pet left the White House in October of last year, a week after a Secret Service agent needed medical treatment for a severe bite.
A previous incident in June led to a “deep bite” on an agent’s arm, which required stitches. Blood on the floor in one area of the White House caused tours of the building’s East Wing to be suspended for 20 minutes, according to a document.
In July, another agent was bitten on the hand and needed six stitches. The bite caused a “severe deep open wound” and the agent “began to lose significant amounts of blood”, an email showed.
This agent was given a “small care package” by colleagues as a gift, including painkillers, antibiotic ointment, pepper spray, a muzzle and dog biscuits “for safety purposes”.
An unnamed senior agent in an email advised that agents protecting Mr Biden and his family “must be creative to ensure our own safety”.
“Recent dog bites have challenged us to adjust our operational tactics when Komandante is present – please give plenty of room (stay on a terrain feature away if possible),” the agent wrote.
A statement to CNN from the office of First Lady Jill Biden said they tried several measures to address the problem but gave up in the fall and sent her to live with relatives.
“Despite additional dog training, leashing, working with veterinarians, and consulting with animal behaviorists, the White House environment proved too much for Commander,” a statement said.
Another dog owned by the family, Major, injured a Secret Service agent in 2021 and was sent to live in Delaware.
