Joe Biden's Dog, Major, Bit Another Federal Employee
Updated March 31 2021, 11:22 a.m. ET
Although he ran on a promise to restore the longtime tradition of U.S. presidents having dogs in the White House, it appears as though President Joe Biden has had to walk back that claim multiple times and even make some relocation decisions for his pets as a result.
The shocking revelation that the president's German shepherd, Major, has perpetrated yet another biting incident comes only shortly after the first, and raises questions about the dog's ability to function in the White House.
So, what exactly caused the president's beloved pet to act out, and who did the dog actually bite? Here's a breakdown of the known details surrounding the situation.
Joe Biden's dog bit an employee of the National Parks Service on the White House lawn.
On March 29, 2021, Major Biden was seemingly involved in yet another biting incident with an employee on White House property. This time, the victim was an unsuspecting National Parks Service employee working on the White House South Lawn. Per CNN, First lady Jill Biden's press secretary Michael LaRosa explained exactly what went down with the pup.
"Yes, Major nipped someone on a walk," he told the publication, "Out of an abundance of caution, the individual was seen by WHMU and then returned to work without injury."
The first lady's press secretary added that Major is "still adjusting to his new surroundings," and that the employee in question wasn't severely harmed by the incident.
The three-year-old German shepherd has reportedly been undergoing extensive behavioral training over the last few weeks, but there are still a few things he clearly needs to work on in order to behave at the hectic White House.
This wasn't Major's first biting incident: he previously nipped at the president's security team.
According to CNN, the president's dogs had to be removed from the White House in early March 2021 as well, following an incident where Major allegedly bit a member of White House security.
Since he was first relocated to the White House upon the president's inauguration, Major has notably showcased agitated behavior. He seemingly had even jumped, barked, and charged at multiple staffers and other security members, per the publication.
The first biting incident caused a bunch of confusion, and upon further examination of the issue, Major's initial relocation may have actually had some more run-of-the-mill reasoning behind it at the time.
The dogs' relocation may have had more to do with the First Lady's schedule than their behavioral issues.
Since the 2021 inauguration, the Instagram account @first_dogs_usa has chronicled the life and times of both Major and Champ while they adjust to life at the White House. When the news broke initially that Major had bitten a security team member, the page went into a frenzy posting a series of photos full of information regarding the dogs' relocation.
According to the page, the rumors of a security member being bitten were not the reason why the dogs had been sent back to Delaware. They attributed the relocation to Jill Biden being out of town, meaning that she couldn't care for the pets. With the president always being so busy, they had to give the task to family friends back home.
This isn't to say that the bite didn't occur, but the Bidens have sent their dogs back to Delaware in the past.
In an interview with Kelly Clarkson, Jill explained that her biggest role going into the White House was to ensure that her dogs were comfortable.
"I've been getting obsessed with getting our dogs settled because we have an old dog and we have a very young dog," she told Kelly. "They have to take the elevator, they're not used to that, and they have to go out on the South Lawn with lots of people watching them. So that's what I've been obsessed with, getting everybody settled and calm."