The apprehension of a man who jumped the White House fence Wednesday night and was bitten by a guard dog highlighted one of the Secret Service's most effective weapons: its canines, reports the Washington Post. Secret Service agents and K-9 units quickly subdued the latest fence jumper, Dominic Adesanya, 23, of Bel Air, Md., after he punched two of the Secret Service dogs, Hurricane and Jordan. The two animals were taken to a veterinarian and treated for minor bruising they suffered during the incident. Adesanya was taken to a hospital with injuries from a dog bite and is now in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
The Secret Service began using dogs, including the Belgian Malinois, to patrol the White House gates last June. It was the first time canine agents were deployed among the general public. Belgian Malinois are often used in military operations by U.S. Navy SEALS. “I love the dogs,” said Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), who heads a panel that oversees the Secret Service. After watching a video showing Hurricane and Jordan being assaulted, he said, “I hated to see [the suspect] punch the dogs, but obviously they could take a punch. I was thrilled to see they're back on duty.” Wayne Pacelle, chief executive of The Humane Society of the United States, helped craft the 2000 law that made it a crime to wound a law-enforcement animal in the line of duty. It passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and is the basis for two of the felony charges Adesanya now faces.