US President Joe Biden's dog Major "hurt someone" at the White House earlier this month, causing a "minor injury", Press Secretary Jen Psaki has confirmed.
Major, 3 years old, whom the Biden family adopted from an animal shelter in 2018, "was surprised by an unfamiliar person and reacted in a way that resulted in a minor injury to the individual, which was handled by the White House medical unit with no further treatment needed", Xinhua news agency quoted Psaki as saying at a briefing on Tuesday.
Champ and Major, the two dogs of the Bidens, were sent back to the family home in Wilmington, Delaware, last week.
Psaki denied they had been banished for bad behaviour, saying the trip was "pre-planned" as First Lady Jill Biden is on a three-day trip to the West Coast, so the pets will be cared for by a friend.
The Bidens' two German shepherds "are still getting acclimated and accustomed to their new surroundings and new people", said Psaki.
"The dogs will return to the White House soon," Psaki told reporters.
A CNN report, quoting White House sources, said it was a "biting incident" with a member of White House security.