President Biden’s canine handler no longer lives at the White House after a series of bite incidents involving staffers and Secret Service agents, according to a spokeswoman for First Lady Jill Biden.
Dr. Biden’s director of communications, Elizabeth Alexander, said the dog no longer lives with the first family.
“The commander-in-chief is currently not on the White House campus while next steps are evaluated,” Ms. Alexander said in a statement.
The move comes days after Commander, a 2-year-old German shepherd, bit a Secret Service officer. This is the 11th episode of “aggressive behavior” by the president’s pets, many of which involve commanders and officers and agents protecting the president.
Mr. One of Biden’s other dogs, Major, was sent to live away from the White House after the president took office because of what was described as an incident at the time that bit a White House staff member.
In her statement, Ms. Alexander said 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.”
He added, “They continue to be grateful for the patience and support of the US Secret Service and they continue to work through solutions.”
Ms. Alexander did not say where the commander-in-chief currently lives or when he will return to the White House.
Internal emails obtained by a conservative activist group and released to the public this summer document 10 instances of “aggressive behavior” by the president’s pets.
In one of those episodes, an agent was “shocked” when the commander began barking at him from the top of a White House staircase, the emails said, and felt the need to raise the chair he was sitting in. Armor.
Secret Service agents are not responsible for the president’s pets, but they often find themselves near dogs when they patrol the White House grounds or perform their duties as bodyguards for the president and his family.
In July, after another episode involving the commander, Anthony Guglielmi, the agency’s communications chief, said it was sometimes unavoidable for agents to be close to pets.
“Although special agents and authorities may not care for or handle pets from the first family, we continue to work with all applicable agencies to minimize adverse impacts on the environment involving pets,” he said.
The dog was allowed to stay in the White House after the commander bit a Secret Service officer late last month. At the time, Ms. Alexander blamed the dog’s behavior on the stress of living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
“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 the commander-in-chief handle the often unpredictability of White House grounds,” he said.
