Bidens' dog Commander gone from White House

[Jilly_in_VA]

Commander Biden, the first family's German shepherd, is no longer at the White House as they evaluate "next steps" following a string of biting incidents.

"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," Elizabeth Alexander, the communications director for first lady Jill Biden, said in a statement on Wednesday evening.

"They remain grateful for the patience and support of the U.S. Secret Service and all involved, as they continue to work through solutions," Alexander said. "Commander is not presently on the White House campus while next steps are evaluated."

The statement came just hours after the Daily Mail reported Commander had bitten the longtime White House groundskeeper Dale Haney on Sept. 13. The Daily Mail published what they called exclusive photos of the incident taken by a tourist.

Asked about the photos during the daily briefing for reporters on Wednesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre deferred questions to Secret Service or the first lady's office.

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/bidens-dog-commander-white-house-string-biting-incidents/story?id=103751246

Srprised no one's said anything about this. Oh well, at least Willow doesn't bite. And Karine says Commander never bit her.

[marble falls]

1. He only bit Secret Service.

[Jilly_in_VA]

2. Must have been a reason for that

Don't you think? He never seems to have bitten anyone else....

[LastDemocratInSC]

7. Dogs, like horses and other animals, are good judges of character.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

11. I find it both hilarious and irresponsible that people keep saying this.

[W_HAMILTON]

25. Oh, you.

[Ms. Toad]

32. Agreed.

Certain breeds of dogs are extraordinarily protective of their families, and can easily misinterpret interactions as threatening. We always had to be careful play fighting with our friends because our shelties believed we were being attacked and came to our defense.

[Act_of_Reparation]

28. Every year, hundreds of mailmen are bitten by dogs.

Guess they're all assholes, then.

[Lancero]

33. Babies get mauled to death too - Guess they consider it a good thing because the dogs know...

That they're, apparently, going to grow up 'wrong'?

[Act_of_Reparation]

34. In fact, frequency of dog bites is negatively correlated with age.

Kinda weird that these excellent judges of character keep biting kids, when there are so many more Trump voters they could be sinking their teeth into.

[TheProle]

31. I'll ask you as well

What character flaws make the 2 million American children bitten every year deserve it?

https://www.sneedmitchell.com/post/dog-bite-facts-statistics

[Shrek]

5. "bitten the longtime White House groundskeeper Dale Haney"

Is the groundskeeper part of the Secret Service?

[Shermann]

17. He was merely a palate cleanser nt

[WhiskeyGrinder]

8. Not true. We know the most about him biting Secret Service agents because of the FOIA requests that

have been fulfilled by DHS. But there are reports of him biting others as well.

[yorkster]

26. Says right in the article that he bit the long time White House

Groundskeeper. And CNN Politics is reporting that he's bitten more people than previously reported.

This is a common sense move.

[TheProle]

30. Negative.

While the US Secret Service has acknowledged 11 reported biting incidents involving its personnel, sources who spoke to CNN said the real number is higher and includes executive residence staff and other White House workers. Those bites have ranged in severity, from one known bite requiring hospital treatment to some requiring attention from the White House Medical Unit to some going unreported and untreated.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/04/politics/commander-biden-white-house/index.html

[former9thward]

3. The dog should have been gone long ago.

It is not meant for that environment.

[NewHendoLib]

6. This.

[Walleye]

4. The white house should get a smaller more even tempered dog

[Tree Lady]

9. I agree but he has always had german shepherds

so loves them. What he needs is a golden retriever they love everyone.

[Walleye]

10. I was thinking that, my friend has one of those. Sweet dogs

[Tree Lady]

12. I have one love of my life

and a bgger dog since Joe likes that size. He could get a doodle if he was worried about hair all over.

[LisaL]

14. Commander is the second German Shepard of his with a biting issue.

First one was Major, I believe.

[spooky3]

13. I agree. German Shepherds may not be the right breed for the WH

environment. Maybe get a dog whose breed works well as service dogs? They can be trained to protect when appropriate but tolerate conditions that might cause other dogs to snap.

There are so many animals in need of good homes; surely the Bidens can find the right match.

[StarryNite]

15. Yes, a rescue would be great.

America is a melting pot, get a mixed breed.

[NNguyenMD]

16. Commander is a rescue

The first rescue dog to stay at the White House

[WhiskeyGrinder]

19. Nope, that was Major.

[LisaL]

21. Yep. Major also had biting problem.

Commander isn't a rescue, he was gifted.
Still has a biting problem.

[NNguyenMD]

23. I stand corrected yes Major was the first

[maxsolomon]

18. The dog's presumptive Alphas are too busy.

The dog is obviously reactive and should not be in a cramped chaotic environment with many strangers coming and going. The previous GS was reactive too. I'm assuming that both dogs had staff assigned to be their handlers, too.

The Bidens do not need a dog right now. That's been obvious for his entire presidency.

[LisaL]

22. Yep. Stick with the cat.

NT

[maxsolomon]

24. I have. Dogs are tough when you're not around.

Main reason why I haven't had one for >10 years. I feel terrible leaving them.

[LisaL]

27. Yep, cats are much more independent.

NT

[spooky3]

35. I don't think a dog is the problem. The Obamas had one,

The Bushes had dogs, the Clintons had one, Lyndon Johnson had one, even Nixon did. I think they need a different breed or mix with a different temperament.

[maxsolomon]

36. people get stuck on a breed.

the bidens are stuck on GS. so yes, a rescue GS is probably not the best choice for the WH.

i question how much time any president of this fucked-up nation has for a dog, regardless.

[spooky3]

37. You might be interested in FDR's experience with a GS

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_pets#:~:text=Most%20United%20States%20presidents%20have,presidential%20pets%20while%20in%20office.

[maxsolomon]

39. LOL, same issue - WH biting!

My sister's GS bit my Neice, almost bit the face of my other Neice. I've never been a fan, but I also don't like to blame breeds for their temperament as Pitties have been demonized and they're usually big lovebugs.

Even my sweet departed Wheaten could get mean, but only with other dogs or raccoons. Did not like raccoons...

[Sympthsical]

20. Moves into strip mall, restyles self as Madame Commander

Psychic Pooch to the Stars.

At least, that's the reputation I keep hearing whenever this topic comes up.

(Glad the dog is being moved to a less stressful environment. A dog acting out consistently in such a way is one that is not in the environment he needs to be happy)

[Act_of_Reparation]

29. They had a 2-year old German Shepherd living in the White House.

I mean, come on. Let's be honest here. The WH might not be the healthiest environment for a protective working dog that needs a shitload of exercise, a routine, and always needs something to do.

[spooky3]

38. There's a long history of pets in the White House:

You might find it interesting

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_pets#:~:text=Most%20United%20States%20presidents%20have,presidential%20pets%20while%20in%20office.