Last week, we heard about the Bidens’ dog Commander. Commander Biden, much like Major Biden before him, has been biting people in the White House. Commander and Major have a lot in common: both are rambunctious German Shepherds and both dogs only bite Secret Service agents. At least, that’s according to the Secret Service. The Secret Service literally erased large swaths of their records to protect Donald Trump, but their record-keeping about dog bites is suddenly beyond refute, at least according to the Washington press corps. In case you need me to spell it out, I don’t actually believe that Major and Commander are as bitey as the Secret Service claims, while I simultaneously believe that there’s a reason why dogs apparently do NOT trust certain SS agents. Well, Politico had an update on all of this:
White House staffers have seen all the headlines about President JOE BIDEN’s 2-year-old German shepherd COMMANDER. They’re aware of the behavioral issues. It just doesn’t compute to them. CNN reported last week that Commander recently bit yet another U.S. Secret Service agent, bringing the total number of known biting incidents to 11. Some of the attacks were bad enough that agents required medical attention, and at least one person had to go to the hospital.
While common sense might suggest that White House officials should avoid Commander at all costs, that’s not how staffers who work in the West Wing are approaching the situation. No one is moving about campus in fear of bumping into the dog. In fact, many get excited when they can sneak a few minutes away from their busy schedule to give him a quick scratch behind the ears.
“Everyone loves him,” said a White House staffer. “He’s always so friendly.”
Among staff, there is an emerging belief that, in the eyes of Commander, they are off limits; that the dog only has an appetite for the Secret Service.
“It’s shocking that he can be so aggressive,” said another White House staffer. “I’ve never seen him like that.”
Indeed, the wild discrepancy in Commander’s behavior has left White House staffers past and present trying to come up with theories about it. “The White House is just a crazy environment for a dog,” said a former White House official. “There are enormous men with guns acting suspiciously hostile everywhere.” Another former staffer suggested that it could have a lot to do with facial expressions. Dogs are very reactive to humans and when staff greet Commander, it’s usually with a big smile. That’s not the case for Secret Service agents, who tend to be less warm and fuzzy while on the job.
When Biden’s brother, JAMES, gave Commander to the president for his birthday in 2021 after Major had been sent away — and as the first family was still grieving the loss of their longtime German shepherd, CHAMP — it caught the White House off guard. A person close to the Bidens said that the president and first lady initially weren’t thrilled to be introducing a new puppy into their chaotic White House life, but they felt like they couldn’t turn down a gift from a well-meaning family member.
Within months, the biting issues started, most of which were captured in 196 pages of internal communications obtained earlier this summer under the Freedom of Information Act by the conservative legal organization Judicial Watch. The internal documents paint a scary picture of an uncontrolled dog terrorizing the people tasked with protecting the president and the first lady.
But whatever additional training Commander is getting hasn’t seemed to do the trick yet. Some White House staffers and reporters have running bets among themselves about how much longer until the Bidens will be forced to send Commander away, too. Sometime before Thanksgiving seems to be a popular take among reporters. “We do wonder how much longer they can keep him around,” said the first White House staffer. “At a certain point, it becomes impossible.”
I bet that Commander gets sent away as well – even if he’s dealing with trumped up charges, there’s really nothing the Bidens can do. I do appreciate the anecdotal stories about how Commander is a friendly, sweet dog around everyone else, and the poor dog is really just trying to protect his mom and dad. You know what happens next though – as soon as Commander gets sent away, suddenly there will be multiple Secret Service agents providing “documentation” about Willow Biden scratching and hissing at Secret Service agents. There’s an active conspiracy to deprive the Bidens of family pets.
Photos courtesy of The White House & Backgrid.
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- Washington, DC – United States President Joe Biden, left, and first lady Dr. Jill Biden, right, pet their dog, a German Shepherd puppy named ‘Commander’, while virtually meeting with United States military service members on Christmas Day, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington, DC, USA. Pictured: Joe Biden, Jill Biden BACKGRID USA 25 DECEMBER 2021 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Washington, DC – United States President Joe Biden, left, and first lady Dr. Jill Biden, right, pet their dog, a German Shepherd puppy named ‘Commander’, while virtually meeting with United States military service members on Christmas Day, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington, DC, USA. Pictured: Joe Biden, Jill Biden BACKGRID USA 25 DECEMBER 2021 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Washington, DC – United States President Joe Biden, left, and first lady Dr. Jill Biden, right, pet their dog, a German Shepherd puppy named ‘Commander’, while virtually meeting with United States military service members on Christmas Day, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington, DC, USA. Pictured: Joe Biden, Jill Biden BACKGRID USA 25 DECEMBER 2021 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Washington, DC – United States President Joe Biden, left, and first lady Dr. Jill Biden, right, pet their dog, a German Shepherd puppy named ‘Commander’, while virtually meeting with United States military service members on Christmas Day, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington, DC, USA. Pictured: Joe Biden, Jill Biden BACKGRID USA 25 DECEMBER 2021 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
Dogs know! Guarantee he’s biting the ones who are dangerous anyway.
Not a fan of dog attacks and everyone deserves a safe work environment, for sure. But the following points jumped out at me.
“Medical attention” could mean oh I washed the scratch out under running water and then slapped on some polysporin to be extra careful. But left like that it sounds mysterious and provocative (oh wait, it sort of doesn’t).
“Sent to the hospital” could easily mean, we didn’t want this to turn in to some BS workers comp thing with an already problematic employee so we sent them to have our ER friends produce a ream of documentation, cause, you know, the ER staff is just sitting around waiting for something to do.
These terms are so vague that they’re meaningless.
If they said, SS agent sustained a dog bite in which bone was visible and he needed a 6 hour surgery to reattach (blah blah) then extensive suturing followed by blah blah then PT for 8 months to regain muscle function for basic activities of daily living, that would be very different.
That level of specificity is completely absent.
They DO!! Isn’t it interesting that the only ones he is biting are the secret service. Now, they are the ones closet to Biden’s person but a dog isn’t concerned about that unless they sense an issue. Poor dog is probably thinking…’how many of these pricks do I need to bite before they figure it out’.. Team Commander
Exactly! Champ started biting SS and then it came out they’d been deleting texts from January 6 and I was like “put the dog in charge of the January 6 committee or at least in charge of vetting secret service”!
… or the ones that provoke him. If, for example, the SS people carry a certain smell (e.g. rubbed off of another dog or something equally potentially antagonistic) – then a dog for sure will react as nose is his prime mode of detection.
Gosh, I would not trust these people. terrible to have to be surrounded by them for *protection*
No wonder they catch C19, these are not all protection service, some of them are bound to be Tr.mp loyalists.
I prefer to leave the conspiracy theories to the right wing. Dogs that bite don’t bite everyone and can be sweet and gentle with those they don’t bite. The fact that Commander was gifted to the Bidens who initially were not thrilled with the gift may provide a clue to the reason for his aggressive behavior towards certain people.
James James James!
Don’t gift people pets! Ever! I don’t care how “well meaning” you imagine yourself to be, but unilaterally deciding to change the makeup of someone ELSE’s family/household is absolutely a jerk move. And doing so to someone who is just starting what is arguably the most high profile, unpredictable, stressful job on the planet which includes living places where they have limited control of who is coming and going, when the other spouse is also stepping into a high profile job in the same environment? WTF were you thinking?
And double all that for choosing a large breed dog known for its working/ guarding/needs a purpose and lots of training and exercise nature. Not fair to the people you’re “gifting” to OR the dog!
Very interesting that White House staffers who are not SS aren’t having any issues with Commander. Maybe it’s just the SS’s demeanor is a trigger for him?
I don’t understand why they don’t have him wear a muzzle or keep him somewhere he always has a safe space to retreat to.
You are absolutely right. It is not fair to gift a pet to someone without their prior consent and without giving them the chance to choose the pet/the pet to choose them. I have never had pets, but maybe he could be kept in a limited area that is less stressful for him? Also, I don’t blame Joe and Jill for not having the time and energy to properly bond with the dog and train him, but a good excuse won’t help Commander.
Dogs definitely know. They can sense who is a threat and who is not. My dogs are the same way. If they are leary about someone, I trust their instinct.
What about those dogs that bite little children? Do they know as well?
Sorry for the sarcasm, but no, dogs don’t know. Some do, some don’t, just like people. And either way their criteria doesn’t match ours.
Actually, no. I love dogs and am not a threat to dogs in any possible way and some of them are downright unfriendly/a bit aggressive to me. I do my best to be understanding and to give them their space but their reaction to me has nothing to do with me specifically.
Meanwhile, my narcissistic psychopath brother, who has literally kicked dogs for the fun of it, has every dog within 30 miles trying to jump in his lap.
Dogs respond to a lot of cues and training and environmental consistencies but they are not able to discern which people are good or bad.
I just don’t think the White House is good place for a dog with high protection instincts. Too much happening, too many people coming and going into his living space/house. I have a family member who had a GS who was very scary to anyone who came to the door, but totally sweet to their family and friends.
I suspect Commander will be sent away soon too.
Slush, I posted my remark about the appropriateness of the breed before reading yours. So, I agree with you.
Major and Commander are good bois who deserve #allthetreats.
+1
I just don’t understand people who think dog bites are just fine as long as the dog is only biting people you don’t like. 🤷🤦
No one is saying that whatsoever. They’re just bringing logic to the situation. If only one type of employee is getting bitten, it’s safe to say that there’s something wrong with how those particular employees are approaching the dog.
So maybe it’s the Secret Service who need to get training on how to approach Commander (or any other dog) without coming across like a threat.
Dog bite logic usually goes like this: There’s a problem with the dog, not with the person bitten. Unless it’s a police dog going after a suspect trying to evade capture. But then, the dog is always following human commands. If I keep reading these comments, I’m pretty sure my head is gonna explode. 🤯
Interesting that comments last week equated pit bulls with guns, but that comparison isn’t drawn when it’s a GSD with a bite history.
I agree that no one should ever “gift” a pet. Absolutely terrible decision. Let Commander go to Delaware.
Yeah the pitt stigma is REAL AF and the markedly different reaction in this thread is proof of that.
Also agree that gifting pets is a terrible idea–they are COMPANIONS not an accessory, people.
On another note, Willow is sooooo pretty. That name suits her perfectly.
I appreciate that you are consistent on these points, kitten!
Commander is protecting them from suspicious secret service agents . Good boy.
It seems suspicious to me that Commander is *only* biting the secret service. That being said, I have been bitten by a German Shepherd and it f*king hurts. I spent a weekend at a friends family lake house. The dog was my new best friend all weekend until I went to pet him goodbye. They had trained him to protect their truck and neglected to tell me that. He bit me so fast, I didn’t even see him move.
This. This article juste skirts the issue that the Secret Service may not be telling the truth about what’s going on. We’ve set up this system where law enforcement believe they have the right to lie without consequences. Now we end up with a mess that people don’t actually believe them in a situation like this.
I agree. That they erased their records to protect Donald Trump says it all to me.
GOOFPUFF
you know these are not the same secret service agents, right????
Yes dog bites are bad and yes he has bitten Secret Service Agents. However, there are far more than 11 agents staffed there. Dogs know and I guarantee you those 11 are the Trumpiest ones. Honestly there ought to be a final test (call it the Commander exam) for bringing new agents into the fold. If Commander goes goes after you, go find a job as security for the incels.
Commander deserves all the treats and scritches for keeping Mom & Dad safe.
I hesitate to repeat what I said last week on this subject, but what the hell, I will anyway: Dogs are not magical MAGA detectors.
“Dogs are not magical MAGA detectors.”
Maybe not MAGA detectors, but they instinctually can sense when their owners are in danger.
@BrassyRebel tell me about it. I truly don’t know whats going on with some of these comments
Noooo! Save Willow! Give her all the Churu treats and belly pets.
Maybe Commander goes after those carrying GUNS?
Guns are one big difference between ‘staff’ and ‘agents’.
That’s an interesting thought, and if that is the case, he should be moved out of the WH, because people with guns aren’t going away.
Except Commander has been around people with guns since he was a puppy. He’s lived at the White House most of his doggy life.
I will go to my grave believing the Secret Service is lying or they are actively aggravating the dogs to get a reaction
I’ll be right beside you.
Same. I don’t believe dogs know who is good or bad but they DO know when someone is doing something the dog doesn’t like.
It wouldn’t surprise me if any of the agents were antagonizing the dogs in some way (even just deliberately wearing a scent the dogs don’t like). It also wouldn’t surprise me one bit if the agents were lying.
This!
Why do I get the sense that the dog is being deliberately provoked?
You aren’t the only one.
Commander needs to be moved to Delaware. I don’t trust the Secret Service agents. They might harm the poor puppy.
I’m sure the agents have an intimidating demeanor that the dog finds concerning. They wear sunshades, have stuff in their ears to listen, they walk around with guns, they look at everyone with suspicion, they probably don’t pet Commander or give him treats so of course he finds them an intrusive nuisance around the White House. Commander is reading them like a book and doing what GSDs do to protect their peeps. He’s a good boy.
The agents are doing there job, and being watchful, armed and slightly intimidating is part of the Job, and Commander is a god boy for biting people for doing their jobs?
If he can’t handle the presence of SS agents, the white house is the wrong place for him and he should be rehomed to a less stressful and triggering home.
Yea there is no justification for a dog biting people ant places of work, even ones you don’t like. The interesting thing about the internet is how it drops the mask of people who aren’t really kind at all.
I know. The assumption that these people must somehow “deserve” to get bitten is mind blowing
I agree with everyone saying it’s not ok to have a dog biting people at their workplace, no matter political views.
Also, German Shepherds may not be good dogs to have as pets in the White House. I know the tradition of having a first dog, but have any previous ones been German Shepherds? With people who have to wear sunglasses and give off an intimidating vibe (cuz who wants a warm and friendly SS agent) this might not be a good breed.
Also, the “dogs know” line is an example of how desperate we are in this country for someone to do something about this MAGA faction. I know it’s a tongue in cheek renark, but we have lost faith and must rely on the animals that have been the most faithful.
Agreed. Whatever is going on with Commander, the bottom line is if he is nipping or biting *anyone* then he needs to be relocated to a more safe and calming home.
Yes, there have been other German Shepherds in the White House.
As others have said, I don’t understand why Commander is not wearing a muzzle. German Shepherds are breed for protection. I just adopted one from a rescue last week. She’s only been in my house 5 days and already she’s protecting it and glued to my side. However, I have years of training dogs. This is not a breed for a first time dog owner. My new dog is very smart, but can be very stubborn. We are working on commands/obedience immediately. I agree with others that Commander needs to go to Delaware.
Generally nice dogs who bite a select group of people are triggered by something. We rescued an abused GSD who was severely triggered by women carrying keys. He has been abused by a woman with a shock collar fob. He was truly a very good boi who was just trying to protect himself.
As someone suggested, the SS (interesting initials!) carry guns, don’t smile or may carry a scent. Or they may be taunting/provoking him in some way.
Our grandkids squeal and shriek which gets our poodle all excited and confused. He hasn’t bitten them thankfully but I can see how some dogs could be triggered by it. And yeah – some dogs are just aggressive by nature/breeding.
EMF999
Is there ANY evidence that SS agents are “taunting or provoking” Commander? Or is that just your speculation??
Do you have any evidence they are not provoking or taunting the dog? Since none of us were there its all just speculation. But the Secret Service has never answered for those deleted January-6th texts, for the whole Mike Pence and the car ride thing, so it leads to speculation that some of these folks are bad actors. And a lot are on the job still.
MSIAM
For the thousandth time, these are not the same ss agents. Or do you judge an organization comprised of thousands of agents to all be of one mind??
And of course I don’t have evidence that they’re not provoking him. What i DO know is that many dogs react negatively to tension and stress in strangers. And when that tension and stress is focused on the dogs owner, or keeping the dogs owner alive, i know that many dogs, esp the more protective breeds, will react negatively and/or aggressively.
But hey, if you can show me something stating that SS agents are prone to provoking dogs, I’m ALL EARS.
White House staffers are not tasked with keeping the Bidens alive. I have no doubt that they’re energy is MUCH more relaxed than SS agents. Agent who HAVE to be constantly alert & tense, not to mention constantly hovering around the Bidens.
Commander is reacting to stimuli, he is NOT interpreting that stimuli. HE IS A DOG
HOW ARE SS AGENTS SUPPOSED TO DO THEIR JOB WHEN THEY HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT GETTING BIT BY A HUGE DOG IF THEY GET TOO CLOSE TO THE BIDENS????
Furthermore, i dont think you all realize that you are compromising the legitimacy of this site, with your INSANE opinions about Commander,because most of you sound off your rockers.
Some of these comments are insane.
I have had German shepherds and I am very fond of the breed. But these dogs can absolutely respond aggressively to perceived threat. Sometimes the perceived threat is real. Sometimes it is not.
It is reasonable to imagine that the dog is interpreting behavior of Secret Service agents as threatening, based on their general demeanor and comportment, and is responding accordingly.
It doesn’t mean that he’s a bad dog, but it does mean he is very unsuited to his living situation – which won’t change. It is irresponsible toward the agents and the dog itself to keep him in this environment.
For the record – I have a very positive opinion of President Biden. But thinking that secret service agents are secretly plotting (and risking their jobs!) to get rid of the President’s pet for no good reason is nonsense.
Also, apparently Secret Service are deliberately provoking a large dog to attack them just to make the Bidens look bad. I don’t think so. As I said upthread, I prefer to leave the unhinged conspiracy theories to the right wing.
Iris
I agree with you 100%!! Only thing is that I’m not even sure dogs are capable of interpreting anything. That is a much more sophisticated thought process than dogs are capable of. Dogs react. Sometimes the way they react is due to training/lack of training, sometimes due to genetics. Sometimes it’s environmental. But dogs react. They don’t stop and ask themselves what the stimuli means, they merely react to it
Having grown up with and currently living with dogs, I can all but guarantee that the agents who are being bitten are the ones who menace the shit out of him when no one is looking. Who knows what the doggo has experienced at the hand of the tRump sycophants in the USSS.
That said, dog bites are serious business, but wouldn’t the East Wing be a quieter place to be (assuming the references to the busy environment indicate the West Wing)??
IMO Major and Commander are being triggered somehow by the Secret Service, especially if they were not biting anyone else. The Bidens are not new to having German Shepherds; their dog Champ who died was a German Shepherd and *he* was not biting the Secret Service. The SS agents assigned to Biden may have some ill feeling towards the Bidens that Major and Commander were picking up on. One dog biting the SS, ok something’s up with the dog. TWO dogs biting the SS, something is up with the SS.
The dog has such soulful eyes. He should just have one dog-walker who he’s closely bonded to and be kept away from Secret Service. There’s something about them that just ticks him off.
James Biden knew the backstory and gave his brother a German Shepherd to protect the President FROM the SS.