New photos have emerged of President Joe Biden's dog, Commander, sinking his teeth into an elderly White House groundskeeper, the Daily Caller reported. The White House previously owned up only to instances where the two-year-old German Shepherd bit Secret Service members.
It's well known that the dog often goes after security personnel because of their "unfriendly expressions," the White House victim-blamed. However, a photo released by the news outlet Wednesday showed that Commander's thirst for blood knows no rank.
The photo, taken by a person browsing at the White House gift shop, reportedly shows the pup biting onto the forearm of Dale Haney on Sept. 13. The 71-year-old has been employed as a caretaker at the White House for more than half a century.
Haney sometimes walks presidential pets, a job that began during the Nixon administration with the then-president's Irish Setter named King Timahoe. Now, the veteran groundskeeper has become another victim of Biden's ill-trained dog.
The person who captured the photo of Haney's bite was unaware of what was happening at the time. "I was really just wanting to take pictures of the dog; it’s the next best thing to seeing the president, after all," the unidentified tourist told the Caller.
"Commander was bouncing around. He seemed very lively, high-spirited, and playful," the person said.
"He’s a good-looking dog," the photographer added. "I only realized he had actually bitten the groundskeeper who was out there with him later when I saw the picture with his teeth quite clearly round the man’s wrist and arm," the unnamed witness added.
"Perhaps it was meant as a playful nip, but that’s a big dog to be behaving like that. To me, that’s a bite," the anonymous person said.
The dog has been involved in at least 11 such incidents, with one requiring treatment onsite and another requiring a hospital visit, CNN reported. Since news of Haney's unfortunate incident broke, Commander has been sent away from the White House campus.
“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," first lady Jill Biden's communications director, Elizabeth Alexander, said in a statement. "They remain grateful for the patience and support of the U.S. Secret Service and all involved, as they continue to work through solutions," she added.
"Commander is not presently on the White House campus while next steps are evaluated," Alexander said. There's no word exactly where the dog has been sent.
This isn't the first time one of the Bidens' dogs has been sent away for vicious behavior. Major, the first family's older German Shepherd who came to the White House early in Biden's presidency, was sent away after several biting incidents of his own.
Things were supposed to be different with Commander, who was to receive proper training. However, a source familiar with the president's security detail complained that the dog's behavior has been so bad it created a work environment that was "dangerous" and "hostile" to the point that agents found workarounds to stay away from the animal.
There's no excuse for bad behavior from an ill-trained dog when the president surely has every resource at his disposal to remedy the situation. However, like every other member of the family, the dogs have been permitted to act out and cause harm while the Bidens make excuses.
