Consider this before you judge Commander (or any other dog)

Any dog can bite. It is the special misfortune of dogs living in the most famous house in America to have their bites widely publicised, amplified and scrutinised. And so when Commander, the german shepherd living with President Joe Biden and his wife Jill, began biting, his behaviour made headlines.

The story, I think, is bigger than the question of whether Commander is showing “aggressive behaviour”, as an e-mail from a Secret Service agent put it. I am chary of assuming that Commander means to maim. Even in my hesitation, though, I know that when it comes to our dogs, we still like to characterise them in categorical terms, as good or bad. We blame the breed or blame the owner.