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Joe Biden’s dog has been removed from the White House after it was found to have bitten more people than the twelve officially noted by the Secret Service.
Commander, a two-year-old German Shepherd, has bitten people working in the executive residence and White House staffers. At least one person required hospital treatment.
On Wednesday, two sources told CNN that there had been many more biting incidents than officially reported.
Previously, DailyMail.com published exclusive photos showing the dog biting the White House Superintendent on September 13.
It has now been confirmed that Commander has been removed from the White House.
On Monday, White House staffers blamed the commander’s biting problems on unfriendly expressions from Secret Service agents, saying the First Dog is usually friendly.
“The President and the First Lady care deeply about the safety of those who work in the White House and those who protect them every day,” Elizabeth Alexander, the first lady’s communications director, said in a statement first released to CNN.
“They remain grateful for the patience and support of the U.S. Secret Service and everyone involved as they continue to work toward solutions.
“The commander is currently away from the White House campus while next steps are evaluated.”
White House sources claimed Monday that Commander is targeting members of the president’s security detail for their “unfriendly expressions.”
But DailyMail.com revealed the two-year-old German shepherd had bitten another staff member just two weeks ago.
The staff member, Dale Haney, 71, is not part of Biden’s security team and was simply playing with the dog.
A photo obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com shows Commander biting another White House staffer last month
The incident, which was unwittingly caught on camera by a tourist taking photos on September 13, shows the two-year-old German shepherd sinking its teeth into the left arm of groundskeeper Dale Haney.
The footage emerged after reports on Monday showed the commander had bitten a Secret Service agent who later required medical attention
The footage obtained by DailyMail.com shows the dog sinking its teeth into the arm of Haney, the White House Grounds Superintendent, in the White House Garden on September 13.
The moment was captured by a tourist in the White House gift shop, who unknowingly caught the bite on camera while taking pictures of the dog.
The visitor, who asked not to be named, recalled: “I actually just wanted to take pictures of the dog, after all, it’s the best thing after visiting the president.
“The commander was bouncing around. He seemed very lively, cheerful and playful. He’s a handsome dog.
‘I only realized later that he had actually bitten the groundskeeper who was with him when I saw the photo with his teeth very clearly on the man’s wrist and arm.’
Haney, who has worked in the White House for more than 50 years, often walks presidential pets on the grounds, starting with Richard Nixon’s Irish Setter, King Timahoe.
In August last year, a photo agency published a photo of him walking with Commander.
The attack came to light just days after reports surfaced that the presidential pet had bitten a Secret Service agent last Monday in an incident that left the agent seeking medical attention.
Visitors walking around the complex watched from the gift shop when the dog suddenly became aggressive
The witness, who did not want to be identified, said the commander otherwise appeared “alive” and “lively.”
Haney is now the superintendent of the White House grounds after being hired as a groundskeeper in 1972. He is seen as a walking commander on the south grounds of the White House in August 2022.
At the time, it was reported as the eleventh known biting incident of the two-year-old German Shepherd.
Today, DailyMail.com can reveal it’s the 12th.
And while White House sources have blamed the president’s protectors, claiming that “everyone loves the commander who is ‘always so friendly,’” the victim on this occasion was not a gun-bearing member of the president’s security detail, just a groundskeeper.
The witness said: ‘Maybe it was meant as a playful snack, but it’s a big dog behaving like that. For me that’s a snack.’
The commander’s most serious attack occurred in November 2022, when an officer was hospitalized after the animal clamped down on their arms and thighs.
Emails obtained by the conservative group Judicial Watch through a Freedom of Information Act request show that the incident was one of 10 that occurred over a four-month period.
It happened just a month after staff warned of the danger of an attack after First Lady Jill Biden “couldn’t regain control of the animal” when it attacked a member of the Secret Service staff.
“I believe it is only a matter of time before a cop/officer is attacked or bitten,” the staff member warned in an email sent in October 2022.
Commander is one of three German Shepherds who lived with the Bidens during Joe’s tenure
President Joe Biden had entered the White House with two German Shepherds, Champ – who died in 2021 – and Major who was removed that year
White House officials said in July that the Bidens were working on new training and leash protocols for the pet after the incidents.
Elizabeth Alexander, the first lady’s communications director, said in a statement last week: “The First Family continues to work on ways to help Commander navigate the often unpredictable nature of the White House terrain.”
The First Family’s senior dog, Major — a five-year-old German shepherd rescued from a Delaware shelter — was removed from the White House after a series of aggressive incidents, including biting Secret Service and National Park Service employees.
The Bidens eventually rehomed Major with friends in Delaware, saying he was a “sweet dog” by nature and citing the “stress” of living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue as the root of his aggression.
Commander joined the First Family in December 2021 as a birthday gift for the President from his brother Jim Biden and his wife
Haney has taken responsibility for walking First Dogs over the years. In 2009, he had Barack Obama’s Portuguese Water Dog Bo on a leash
Haney joined First Lady Jill Biden and presidential granddaughter Maisy to walk with Major and Champ less than three weeks into Biden’s presidency
Commander, who received a birthday gift to the president from James and Sara Biden, his brother and sister-in-law, came to the White House for the first time on December 20, 2021.
But last week, speaking to CNN, former USSS agent Jonathan Wackrow called the dog biting a “significant hazard” that must be addressed.
He said, “There’s something unique here where it’s the residence of the President of the United States, but it’s also the workplace for hundreds, thousands of people.
‘And you cannot introduce danger into the workplace. And that’s essentially what’s happening with this dog.
“One time you can say it was an accident, but now that there are multiple incidents, it is a serious problem.”