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ANALYSIS: The president of the United States, Joe Biden, has made them as much a part of his personal brand as his Scranton roots, his stories of how to overcome pain, and his country demeanor.
“Not many people have visiting privileges in the Oval Office. Happy to report these two are on the list,” he wrote on Instagram last month, a caption for a photo he took with his two German Shepherds, Major and Champ. .
It was intended to convey sympathy, warmth, and an all-American quality that many felt the former president, avowedly anti-pet, deeply lacked.
But that perfect picture was affected this week by news that Major had a confrontation with someone in the White House. The incident caused an immediate public relations problem for the White House, which had been publicizing the arrival and presence of the first two dogs for weeks.
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* It is important: pets are ready to return to the White House
* Joe Biden will likely wear a moon boot after breaking his foot while playing with his dog
On Tuesday night (local time), a Secret Service official said The Washington Post that Major bit the hand of an agent in the White House, causing a minor wound and leaving a small mark.
The skin was not pierced and there was no bleeding, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe a sensitive topic. The agent resumed his normal duties after the incident, the official said.
Adam Schultz / White House / Brochure
Major, a dog of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, had an encounter with someone at the White House.
Initially, the details were scant. CNN reported a “biting incident” Monday night, followed by the dogs returning to their home in Wilmington, Delaware. The White House, which is not normally shy about talking about dogs, said nothing.
On Tuesday morning, First Lady Jill Biden’s spokeswoman offered a partial explanation. “With the first lady traveling for three days, Champ and Major went to Delaware to stay with family friends,” said their press secretary, Michael LaRosa.
But what about the reported bite? And would the dogs return? He wouldn’t say.
On the White House grounds, there was an air of mystery. A reporter tweeted a photo of an empty dog bed leaning against a wall. A few hours later, White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked about it at her daily press conference. She came willing to share a little more.
“Champ and Major, the president and the first lady’s dogs, are members of the family and are still acclimating and getting used to their new surroundings and new people,” he said, reading his notes. “And on Monday, the youngest dog in the first family, Major, was surprised by an unknown person and reacted in a way that resulted in a minor injury to the individual, which was handled by the White House medical unit unnecessarily. of more treatment “.
Stephanie Carter / AP
Major made headlines late last year when Joe Biden injured his foot playing with him.
A reporter asked Psaki later Tuesday if he could confirm that it was a Secret Service officer who was bitten. She declined to say so and encouraged the reporter to ask the Secret Service. A spokeswoman for the agency referred the questions to the White House.
Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of America, said “dog bites can occur for a variety of reasons.”
“Dogs experience a transition period when they settle into a new environment,” Block said. “Some dogs adapt to a new environment very quickly, while for others, the transition can take a few days, a few weeks, or even a few months.”
The dogs would return, Psaki said, explaining that plans had already been made to be cared for by family friends while the first lady traveled. “He has a three-day trip this week and the dogs will be returning to the White House soon,” Psaki said.
Adam Schultz / White House
A spokeswoman for First Lady Jill Biden said the dogs had returned to Delaware while she was traveling.
When asked by a reporter if Major could be euthanized as a result of the episode, Psaki said that would not be the case.
“Major Biden is a member of the family, so I can assure you of that,” he said.
At the time, social media was full of comments and concerns. And as is customary in Washington today, it somehow became politically charged.
“Biden can deport his dogs for violent acts, but not illegal immigrants. I guess the White House is not a sanctuary city,” tweeted far-right congresswoman Lauren Boebert of Colorado.
Liberal activist Peter Daou had a different opinion. “I see more empathy and concern for Biden’s dogs than for caged migrant children,” he tweeted.
Like many other White House dogs, Major and Champ have achieved celebrity status. Also like their predecessors, they have come to symbolize something greater about their owners.
President Barack Obama had Bo, the Portuguese water dog who kept the promise Obama made to his daughters after the 2008 elections and was emblematic of the arrival of a young family in the White House.
Cliff Owen / AP
Like many previous White House dogs such as Bo Obama, Major and Champ have achieved celebrity status.
President George W. Bush had Scottish Terriers Barney and Miss Beazley, who appeared in popular Christmas videos. Barney bit a reporter. Richard Nixon had Checkers, a Cocker Spaniel who was a politically gifted and the subject of a famous speech.
Americans have long been captivated by politicians’ dogs and how they treat them. The story of Mitt Romney’s Irish setter Seamus, who fell ill after a 12-hour ride on the roof of Romney’s truck, was the fodder for his opponents when he ran for president in 2012. Republican Senator Ted Cruz’s recent outing to Cancun while Texas was in crisis raised questions about how his dog Snowflake was doing while on the road.
Biden adopted Major in 2018. They had Champ – supposedly named after his father’s motivational saying, “Get up, champion!” – since 2008, shortly after Biden was elected vice president under Obama.
Biden, his team and his family have posted photos and videos of the dogs and have often discussed them publicly. A photo released by the White House shows Champ sitting on the floor of the Oval Office while Biden consults with advisers.
As for Major, Tuesday was not the first time he made headlines: Biden injured his foot playing with him late last year.
For now, Major and Champ have the White House to themselves. But the Bidens revealed to CBS News last year that a cat would eventually join them. “What happened to that?” a journalist asked Psaki.
“Where is the cat? Today is a good day for the cat,” he replied. “I don’t have any updates on the cat. We know the cat will break the internet, but I don’t have any updates on its status.”
John Wagner of the Washington Post contributed to this report.
