There has been a long tradition of first dogs. The earliest first dog to get press coverage was President Warren G. Harding's dog, Laddie Boy. FDR’s dog Scottish terrier, Fala, helped him win reelection after he was rescued from the Aleutian Islands after being accidentally left behind. President Richard Nixon also relied on his dog, Checkers, to get him out of hot water while serving as vice president.
Another pup for the history books is President Joe Biden’s German shepherd, Commander. He is going through a bit of a rough behavior patch as of late. According to official records between October 2022 and January 2023, he has bitten Secret Service agents 10 times. One of these agents had to go to the hospital for treatment.
This information has become public knowledge because of a lawsuit brought by Judicial Watch, a conservative group. It requested access to 194 pages of emails and texts that describe the incidents. Perhaps Commander should hire a public relations firm.
One of the incidents occurred on October 26, 2022. First lady Jill Biden was walking Commander and lost control of him. Commander charged an unknown Secret Service agent, whose name has been redacted from the reports. “The First Lady couldn’t regain control of Commander and he continued to circle me. I believe it’s only a matter of time before an agent/officer is attacked or bit,” this individual wrote in an email describing the incident.
More from LittleThings: Joe Biden's German Shepherds Will Bring Tradition Of Presidential Pets Back To The White House
The agent's words became a prophecy. Only days later, Commander bit an agent in the arm and the leg. The following month, he bit another agent in the forearm and the thumb. President Joe Biden was present for the latter encounter and was concerned about the agent’s well-being after the incident. One can only hope that Commander gets it together, otherwise he might face a similar fate as his brother, Major.
