Commander (dog)
{{Short description|Pet dog of the Biden family (born 2021)}}
{{Redirect|Commander Biden|the 46th commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces|Joe Biden}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox animal
| name = Commander
| image = Commander (Biden dog) in February 2022.jpg
| caption = Commander in 2022
| birth_name =
| breed = German Shepherd
| gender = Male
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2021|9|1}}
| birth_place =
| parents =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| term = December 20, 2021 – October 5, 2023
| known_for = United States presidential pet
| employer =
| years_active =
| awards =
| tricks =
| owner = Biden family
| weight =
| height =
| appearance =
| namedafter =
| predecessor = Champ and Major
}}
Commander (born September 1, 2021) is a German Shepherd owned by former President of the United States Joe Biden and former First Lady Jill Biden.
Life
File:Joe Biden walking with Commander, 21 June 2022.jpg; June 21, 2022]]Commander was a birthday gift to Joe Biden from James and Sara Biden, his brother and sister-in-law.{{cite web |last=Bennett |first=Kate |date=December 20, 2021 |title=Bidens add to their family with new first puppy |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/20/politics/first-puppy-bidens-white-house/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211220220059/https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/20/politics/first-puppy-bidens-white-house/index.html |archive-date=December 20, 2021 |access-date=December 20, 2021 |publisher=CNN}} Commander first came to the White House on December 20, 2021.{{Cite web |date=December 21, 2021 |title=Biden Welcomes Puppy to White House; No Word on Promised Cat |url=https://www.voanews.com/amp/biden-welcomes-puppy-to-white-house-no-word-on-promised-cat-/6362996.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221011315/https://www.voanews.com/amp/biden-welcomes-puppy-to-white-house-no-word-on-promised-cat-/6362996.html |archive-date=December 21, 2021 |access-date=December 21, 2021 |website=VOA News |agency=Associated Press}}{{Cite web |last1=Brown |first1=Kristin |last2=Linton |first2=Caroline |date=December 21, 2021 |title=Bidens welcome new dog named Commander |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bidens-new-dog-commander/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221011529/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bidens-new-dog-commander/ |archive-date=December 21, 2021 |access-date=December 21, 2021 |website=CBS News |language=en-US}} That same day, Major, another dog owned by the Biden family, was removed from the White House following several biting incidents.{{Cite news |last=Reed |first=Betsy |author-link=Betsy Reed |date=December 21, 2021 |title=Commander in, Major out: White House pet shakeup after biting incidents |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/21/commander-in-major-out-white-house-pet-shakeup-after-biting-incidents |access-date=January 20, 2024 |work=The Guardian |agency=Associated Press}}{{Cite news |last1=Shear |first1=Michael D. |last2=Rogers |first2=Katie |date=December 21, 2021 |title='Hey, Pal': Biden Welcomes a New Puppy to the White House |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/20/us/politics/biden-puppy-commander.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302135207/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/20/us/politics/biden-puppy-commander.html |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |access-date=December 21, 2021 |newspaper=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} On February 13, 2022, Commander made his TV debut in the program Puppy Bowl XVIII.{{cite web |date=February 11, 2022 |title=Biden dog Commander to make TV debut during 'Puppy Bowl' |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-dog-commander-make-tv-debut-puppy-bowl-rcna15853 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230603124925/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-dog-commander-make-tv-debut-puppy-bowl-rcna15853 |archive-date=June 3, 2023 |access-date=September 30, 2023 |website=NBC News |agency=Associated Press}}
On June 15, 2023, Commander raced toward a secret service agent and lunged at him, causing a "deep bite" on the left arm that was reported to have needed stitches. "East Wing Tours were stopped for approximately 20 minutes due to blood from the incident being on the floors in the area of the Book-sellers," a hall in the White House, one document reported.{{Cite web |date=February 21, 2023 |title= Secret Service Had to Adjust Tactics to Avoid Bites From Biden's Dog |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/21/us/politics/secret-service-commander-dog.html |access-date=February 23, 2024 |website= www.nytimes.com |first=Peter |last=Baker|language=en }} Records released on July 25, 2023, by Judicial Watch showed that Commander bit or attacked Secret Service agents at least 10 times between October 2022 and July 2023.{{Cite web |date=July 25, 2023 |title=Biden's dog Commander has bitten Secret Service officers 10 times in four months, records show |url=https://apnews.com/article/biden-dog-secret-service-commander-bite-89448214f0832edabd28940f7a2c8d4c |access-date=July 25, 2023 |website=AP News |first=Darlene |last=Superville |language=en |archive-date=October 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026083649/https://apnews.com/article/biden-dog-secret-service-commander-bite-89448214f0832edabd28940f7a2c8d4c |url-status=live }} Commander was involved in an eleventh biting incident on September 26.{{cite web |last=Klein |first=Betsy |date=September 26, 2023 |title=Commander Biden bites another Secret Service agent, the 11th known incident |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/26/politics/commander-biden-biting-incident/index.html |access-date=September 30, 2023 |work=CNN |archive-date=September 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230930001538/https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/26/politics/commander-biden-biting-incident/index.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=https://nos.nl/artikel/2491975-herdershond-van-biden-bijt-voor-de-elfde-keer-medewerker-van-witte-huis|title=Herdershond van Biden bijt voor de elfde keer medewerker van Witte Huis|work=NOS|date=September 27, 2023 |access-date=September 30, 2023|language=nl|archive-date=October 2, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002023431/https://nos.nl/artikel/2491975-herdershond-van-biden-bijt-voor-de-elfde-keer-medewerker-van-witte-huis|url-status=live}} Commander also bit White House grounds superintendent Dale Haney, who has taken responsibility for walking presidential dogs since the presidency of Richard Nixon, on September 13, 2023, in an incident that was photographed by a tourist and subsequently received media attention.{{Cite web |last1=Hutzler |first1=Alexandra |last2=Nagle |first2=Molly |date=October 5, 2023 |title=Bidens' dog Commander gone from White House after string of biting incidents |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/bidens-dog-commander-white-house-string-biting-incidents/story?id=103751246 |website=ABC News |access-date=November 8, 2023 |archive-date=November 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231104155650/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/bidens-dog-commander-white-house-string-biting-incidents/story?id=103751246 |url-status=live }}{{cite journal |author=Marcia Mallet Anderson |year=2022 |title=Fifty Years Devoted to the White House Gardens & Grounds: The Career of Dale Haney, Superintendent of the White House Grounds |url=https://issuu.com/whhapubl/docs/whhq_65_pdf_haney |journal=White House History Quarterly |page=31 |access-date=November 8, 2023 |archive-date=February 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226111313/https://issuu.com/whhapubl/docs/whhq_65_pdf_haney |url-status=live }}
On October 5, 2023, it was announced that Commander was moving out of the White House due to the numerous biting incidents.{{cite web |title=Biden's dog Commander leaves White House after biting incidents |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-67015811 |website=BBC News |access-date=October 5, 2023 |date=October 5, 2023 |archive-date=October 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010112130/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-67015811 |url-status=live }} CNN later reported that there were at least 24 such events.{{Cite web |last1=DeChalus |first1=Camila |last2=Klein |first2=Betsy |date=February 21, 2024 |title=Bidens' dog, Commander, bit Secret Service personnel in at least 24 incidents, records show |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/21/politics/commander-biden-secret-service-bites-white-house/index.html |access-date=February 21, 2024 |website=CNN |language=en}}
In her 2024 autobiography, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem suggested that Commander should be killed, calling him "dangerous and unpredictable".{{cite news |last1=Astor |first1=Maggie |title=Kristi Noem Suggests Biden's Dog Should Have Been Killed, Too |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/05/us/politics/kristi-noem-bid|access-date=May 6, 2024 |work=The New York Times |date=May 5, 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240505175401/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/05/us/politics/kristi-noem-biden-dog.html |archive-date=May 5, 2024}}{{cite news |work=CNN |last1=Maher |first1=Kit |title=Noem suggests Biden's dog Commander should suffer a similar fate to Cricket, the dog she shot |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/05/politics/kristi-noem-dog-commander-biden/index.html |access-date=May 6, 2024 |date=May 5, 2024}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{commons category-inline}}
{{S-start}}
{{S-hon}}
{{s-bef
| before = Major
{{small|(as sole presidential dog)}}
}}
{{s-ttl
| title = White House pet dogs
| years = December 20, 2021 – October 5, 2023
| alongside = Major (Until December 21, 2021)
}}
{{s-aft|after=Vacant}}
{{S-end}}
{{United States presidential pets}}
{{Joe Biden}}