President Biden’s dog Commander was recently booted from the White House as reports have emerged that he has bitten more personnel than previously disclosed, creating what staffers are calling a dangerous workplace, according to a report.
“We’re beyond the point of worrying about trust being broken. We have to speak up,” a source familiar with the president’s Secret Service detail told the news station.
There have been 12 documented biting incidents — including 11 with US Secret Service staff — involving the 2-year-old German shepherd in the past year.
But sources told CNN that the actual number of incidents is higher as other White House workers have been on the receiving end of Commander’s acts of aggression.
None of the sources, who requested anonymity to speak freely about the troubling situation, could provide an exact tally of the times the canine has sunk his teeth into the Executive Mansion employees, but said that executive residence staff are among the first dog’s victims.
The last time Commander chomped on an employee was just last Monday when he bit a uniformed Secret Service officer who was treated at the complex.
The White House grounds superintendent, Dale Haney, 71, was also bitten by the dog on Sept. 13, according to a photograph published Wednesday by the Daily Mail.
The severity of the bites has ranged from incident to incident, but at least one of the dog’s victims was sent to the hospital with lacerations on his arm and thigh.
A Secret Service supervisor reportedly warned agents that Commander had bit staffers in a large number of incidents over the summer, the source said while describing the job as “hostile” and “dangerous.”
Agents use their radios to alert one another when the allegedly aggressive pooch is outside and warn their colleagues to avoid certain areas or entrances where he may be, according to the source.
The dog has since been tossed from White House grounds, a spokesperson for First Lady Jill Biden told CNN.
“Commander is not presently on the White House campus while next steps are evaluated,” Elizabeth Alexander said.
The Bidens’ older dog Major, another German shepherd, was previously ousted from DC over similar poor behavior.
Commander was gifted to the First Family on the same day Major was given to family friends after biting multiple Secret Service members in 2021.
It’s unclear if the White House is keeping a record of the number of bites Commander is responsible for.
“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,” Alexander said to CNN. “They remain grateful for the patience and support of the U.S. Secret Service and all involved, as they continue to work through solutions.”