US President Joe Biden's dog Commander has bitten a US Secret Service agent at least 24 times, according to agency records. This is the latest report from a commander challenging senior agents.
But he is far from the first or only presidential pet to spark controversy in the United States and around the world.
Al Jazeera covers General Biden and other presidential pets who have been controversial or hugely popular.
commander-in-chief and commander
Biden's family pet, Commander-in-Chief, left the White House last year a week after a Secret Service agent required treatment for a severe bite wound.
The German shepherd commander had at least 24 biting episodes between October 2022 and July 2023, according to a published internal email (PDF) posted online.
“Recent dog bite incidents require us to adjust our operational tactics when commanders are present. Please allow us sufficient leeway,” the special agent told the team, adding, “We need to adjust our operational tactics when commanders are present. We must be creative to ensure safety,” he added.
The Secret Service confirmed the authenticity of the document.
The Secret Service previously confirmed that 11 employees had been bitten by the dog.
The email not only recorded the details of the incident, but also reflected the concerns of the officers. The Secret Service member was bitten on the wrist, forearm, elbow, lower back, chest, thigh and shoulder, according to the email.
Commander Biden joined the family as a puppy in December 2021.
The German shepherd is the second of Biden's dogs in the White House to exhibit aggressive behavior. Biden's other German shepherd, Major, eventually moved to live with friends in Delaware. The commander in chief is no longer in the White House.
Finland's Rennes was the scene-stealer.
Finland's first dog, the late Boston Terrier Rennes, was famous not only in Finland but all over the world.
He was frequently included in the official appearances of soon-to-be-outgoing President Saulo Niinisto. The New York Times reported that the portrait of a smiling Rennes was shared more than 50,000 times on Twitter and liked about 150,000 times after the reporter posted it.
In the United States, Rennes was featured on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. In Finland, pastries named after dogs were also created.
The Boston Terrier was a scene stealer. He often looked toward the camera even when seasoned politicians like Niinistö were looking elsewhere. Rennes passed away in May 2021 from a pituitary tumor.
The world is a dumpster fire, but at least we have Rennes, the Finnish president's dog. pic.twitter.com/My9YKorm8R
— Brianna 🐝BEES(?!)on (@briannabisson) February 23, 2017
Putin's dog diplomacy
In Germany, Russian President Vladimir Putin brought a Labrador to meet former Chancellor Angela Merkel during a 2007 press conference.
Chancellor Merkel has reportedly been afraid of dogs ever since she was attacked by one in 1995, and was photographed looking uncomfortable when Koni appeared at a meeting.
“I wanted to do something nice for her,” Putin said, appearing to smile in the photo. “When she found out she didn't like her dog, she of course apologized.”
She later told reporters, “I understand why he has to do this – to prove he's a man… He's afraid of his own weakness,” she reportedly told reporters. There is,” he said. Russia has nothing, no political or economic success. This is all they have. ”
But while Chancellor Merkel may not like dogs, President Putin does. Other world leaders often gifted him dogs. In 2017, amid rising tensions with Russia, Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov gave Putin an Alabai dog, a rare breed found mainly in Central Asia. Bulgaria and Japan also each gave Putin a dog.
Koni the dog, which apparently surprised Merkel, was a gift from Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to President Putin.
FDR, Farrah, and “Fake News”
Long before Donald Trump, U.S. presidents have accused their opponents of “fake news.”
In 1944, opponents of then-U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt claimed that the president had left behind his Scottish terrier Fala after a visit to Alaska. They had to turn back to retrieve the dog, costing the Treasury millions of dollars.
There is no evidence that this ever happened, and President Roosevelt insisted that it did not happen. But he also used it to garner sympathy for himself and Farah in his nationally televised speech.
“These Republican leaders are not happy with the attacks on me, my wife, my sons. No, they are not happy with that and now that includes my little dog, Farah,” he said. Ta.
“Of course I'm not outraged by the attack, and my family isn't outraged by the attack. But Farrah is outraged by the attack. You know, Farrah is Scotch, and even Scots… Yes, but as soon as I found out that Republican novelists, in and out of Congress, had made up a story about me leaving him in the Aleutians and sending a destroyer back, he was a Scotsman. He was furious. He hasn't been the same dog since then,” he added.
A statue of Farah is on display next to FDR at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington.
A Cold War puppy spy?
During the Cold War, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev gave US President John Kennedy a dog called Pushinka. The mother was one of the first dogs to fly into space and return alive.
When Pushinka (Russian for “fluffy”) arrived in Washington, many suspected she was a spy and was hiding listening devices.
“The result of extensive testing of bombs, germs, and other eavesdropping devices… [Pushinka] “He fell in love with President Kennedy's beloved terrier, Charlie,” said White House historian Jennifer Pickens, NPR reported.
Pushinka gave birth to four puppies, affectionately called “Pupniks” by President Kennedy.
The White House has received about 5,000 requests to adopt a puppy.
countdown to #president's dog!!
There are officially seven days until the next exhibition opens.
Start the countdown with Charlie and Pushinka, Welsh terriers who were members of the Kennedy family.
Photo courtesy of John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. pic.twitter.com/uXdJ3aP9zz— AKC Dog Museum (@akcMOD) September 1, 2020