Vice President JD Vance speaks during the Turning Point USA event at The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss., on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025.

Vice President JD Vance and his family aren't the only ones appreciative of the family dog, Atlas. Apparently, the Secret Service is, too.

Vance, who recently made a high-profile speech at a Turning Point USA event on Oct. 29, talked about the family dog with the New York Post's Miranda Devine for an episode of the Pod Force One podcast, which also posted on Oct. 29.

The wide-ranging hourlong discussion included immigration, faith and Vance's trip to Israel, which included a visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which by tradition is the site of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection.

Devine, who did the interview in the vice president's home at the Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., told Vance that the family's German shepherd, Atlas, was "a beautiful dog and very well-behaved."

"Is he likely to bite any Secret Service agents," she asked Vance. Former President Joe Biden's dog, Commander, a German shepherd, tallied more than two dozen biting incidents involving Secret Service agents, White House staff, and Navy staff from October 2022 to July 2023, before his removal in October 2023.

The Bidens' previous German shepherd Major also had biting incidents before being shipped off to live with family friends in 2021.

Secret Service agents "never dish on anybody that they've protected but … many Secret Service agents have told us, 'We're so grateful you have a dog who doesn't bite us, in particular a German shepherd'," Vance said.

Major and Commander "I guess were pretty aggressive," Vance said. "Atlas is a very friendly dog." Growing up around his and wife Usha's three young children has made Atlas "very social," Vance said.

But Atlas can apparently be a bit frisky around newcomers. So when President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump came to dinner, Atlas was closeted away.

"He'll turn two in November and he's very sweet," Vance said. "But if a new person comes and that person is like in the circle, then he will jump all over that person. I didn't want that to happen to the president and the first lady, so we kept him upstairs with the kids," Vance said laughing.

Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: JD Vance says Secret Service agents are 'grateful' family German shepherd doesn't bite

Reporting by Mike Snider, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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