White House fence-jumper: What happened to dogs who caught him?

This fence-jumper didn't even get close to the Executive Mansion, as the Secret Service released two big Belgian Malinois dogs, trained to 'act as a missile,' who ran the intruder to ground. Hurricane and Jordan are doing fine. 

|
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
The Secret Service, along with K-9s Hurricane and Jordan, quickly apprehended a man who jumped the White House fence on Wednesday. This latest incident comes about a month after a previous White House fence-jumper sprinted across the lawn, past armed uniformed agents, and entered the mansion.

This time the Secret Service let the dogs out – and the guard dogs did their job.

On Wednesday evening, Secret Service K-9s Hurricane and Jordan corralled a man who jumped the fence at the White House. The big Belgian Malinois dogs swarmed the intruder, identified later as Dominic Adesanya of Bel Air, Md. They knocked him down and held him for human Secret Service agents to arrest, according to video of the incident.

In September, critics complained that the Secret Service kept their guard dogs leashed as alleged jumper Omar Gonzalez sprinted across the lawn and entered the White House. This time, agents on duty did not make that same mistake.

“Dogs got him,” said Secret Service spokesman Edwin Donovan on Wednesday.

To be fair, the tactical situation seemed different with the latest White House intruder. Video showed him stationary near the perimeter fence, instead of running toward the Executive Mansion.

He appeared to fight the dogs, kicking at one and struggling in their grip. They were not seriously hurt. (Nor was the intruder.) According to the Secret Service, both dogs were taken to a vet after the incident, treated for minor injuries, and cleared for a return to duty.

Most Secret Service dogs are Belgian Malinois, a big breed that resembles a German shepherd. They are used by police forces and militaries around the world due to their intelligence, power, and eagerness to work.

US Navy SEALs used a Belgian Malinois in the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound, for instance. The dog, Cairo, was trained to sniff for bombs and secure the compound perimeter.

The breed is “happiest with regular activity and a job to do,” according to the American Kennel Club.

The US Secret Service trains many of its Malinois to act as a missile, according to a Washington Post account of their service. They are supposed to be released seconds after a suspect is sighted, then run the suspect down, knock them over, and hold them until relieved by a human compatriot.

Their work can be hazardous. In 2013, a bomb-sniffing Malinois died in the line of duty after falling while checking out a parking garage in New Orleans prior to an expected visit by Vice President Joe Biden.

Wednesday’s fence-jumper may be fortunate the dogs were on the case. Given the intensity of recent congressional criticism, it is quite possible that the intruder would have been shot if he had eluded agents and neared the White House itself.

Mr. Adesanya has been charged with felonies for attacking the police dogs and making threats, the Secret Service said Thursday. His father told a local television station that his son has mental problems. The family has tried to get him mental help but has been unsuccessful.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to White House fence-jumper: What happened to dogs who caught him?
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/Decoder/2014/1023/White-House-fence-jumper-What-happened-to-dogs-who-caught-him
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe