President Joe Biden害羞草研究所檚 dog, Commander, is 害羞草研究所渘ot presently on the White House campus害羞草研究所� following a series of biting incidents involving White House staff and U.S. Secret Service officers, a spokesperson for first lady Jill Biden said late Wednesday.

Elizabeth Alexander, the first lady害羞草研究所檚 communications director, said Biden and his wife care deeply about the safety of White House staff and those who protect them every day.

害羞草研究所淭hey remain grateful for the patience and support of the U.S. Secret Service and all involved, as they continue to work through solutions,害羞草研究所� she said in an emailed statement, adding, 害羞草研究所淐ommander is not presently on the White House campus while next steps are evaluated.害羞草研究所�

Alexander did not say where the dog was sent. The 2-year-old German shepherd was last seen Saturday on an upper balcony of the White House.

The statement came hours after White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked Wednesday害羞草研究所檚 daily briefing about a fresh allegation that Commander had bitten a White House staffer.

Jean-Pierre referred questions to the first lady害羞草研究所檚 office, which said Commander and Dale Haney, the head groundskeeper at the White House, were playing and that no skin was broken in an incident that was photographed by a tourist and shared with a news organization, which published the image online.

Commander had been involved in a series of biting incidents, most recently on Sept. 25. A uniformed Secret Service officer was bitten at the White House that night and was treated by on-site by medical personnel, said USSS chief of communications Anthony Guglielmi.

Alexander said at the time that 害羞草研究所渢he White House can be a stressful environment for family pets害羞草研究所� and that the Bidens were continuing to 害羞草研究所渨ork on ways to help Commander handle the often unpredictable nature of the White House grounds.害羞草研究所�

The German shepherd purebred has bit or otherwise attacked Secret Service personnel at least 10 other times between October 2022 and January, including one incident that required a hospital visit by the injured law enforcement officer, according to records from the Department of Homeland Security.

Commander is the second of Biden害羞草研究所檚 dogs at the White House that behaved aggressively, including biting Secret Service personnel and White House staff. They eventually sent the first dog, a German shepherd named Major, to live with friends in Delaware after those incidents.

The Secret Service provides security protection for the president and his family, and scores of its officers are posted around the executive mansion and its sprawling grounds.

Commander was a gift to Biden in December 2021 from his brother James. The family also has a cat, Willow.

Darlene Superville, The Associated Press