Joe and Jill Biden adopted a dog named Major, a German Shepherd, from a Delaware dog shelter. Major is a rescue dog who will become the first rescue dog to live in the White House. It’s another of Team Biden’s historic firsts to boast about as though it is quite an accomplishment.

That’s a nice story. Biden campaigned on bringing dogs back to the White House during his administration, you know. Apparently, this is a top priority for Joe. There was a whole Dogs for Biden campaign happening on Instagram during the presidential campaign. I don’t blame him, I like dogs. That’s the point – bringing back dogs to the White House appeals to Americans. We love our pets and treat them like our children. I do have a bone to pick with Biden, though. Why is he now throwing Major under the bus and blaming him for breaking his foot?

Let’s put dogs back in the White House. pic.twitter.com/7pBihksfXT

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) November 1, 2020

Joe Biden is a frail 78-year-old man. German Shepherds are big dogs. This was bound to happen. When the story of Biden’s bone fractures in his foot was first reported, the story was that Biden was playing with his dog and sprained his ankle. For whatever reason, the president-elect didn’t go to have his ankle looked at by a doctor for about 24 hours. When Biden did seek medical attention, tests were run and it was determined that he fractured some bones in his foot. CNN was busy swooning over the quickness and transparency of the story coming from the president-elect, comparing it to when Trump visited Walter Reed Medical Center a few months ago without explaining the trip to the press. Biden, too, went to Walter Reed to have an orthopedist check out his ankle.

On Sunday, three days after Thanksgiving this year, President-elect Joe Biden slipped and hurt his foot while playing with his dog, Major. We were quickly told — via the traveling press pool — that Biden was going to see his orthopedist out of an abundance of caution. Within two hours, there was a statement from Dr. Kevin O’Connor noting that Biden’s foot had been X-rayed and it appeared as though he had a sprain. A CT scan was going to be conducted just to confirm the diagnosis, however.

Then, 90 minutes after that, came this, again from O’Connor: “Initial x-rays did not show any obvious fracture, but his clinical exam warranted more detailed imaging. Follow-up CT scan confirmed hairline (small) fractures of President-elect Biden’s lateral and intermediate cuneiform bones, which are in the mid-foot. It is anticipated that he will likely require a walking boot for several weeks.”

That’s a nice story but it is a revised chain of events. Biden hurt himself but didn’t seek immediate medical attention. I would assume he, like most of us, delays having a twisted ankle checked out unless it gets worse afterward. I also assume the pain of the injury and probably swelling of the ankle indicated he needed to go have it checked. So he went to the hospital. At the time it was reported that only a limited amount of reporters were allowed to tag along and record the event. When Biden re-emerged from the hospital, photographers were scrambling to get a shot of him limping out and into his awaiting vehicle. He’ll be wearing a boot for several weeks.

CNN’s editor-at-large took a shot at Trump while reporting on Biden’s injury, too. It’s CNN – they can’t help themselves.

“The transparency coming from Biden’s transition team about hairline fractures in the President-elect’s foot suggests that the effort by the Trump White House to actively obfuscate when asked basic questions about the President’s health is over,” CNN editor-at-large Chris Cillizza wrote.

What CNN didn’t report is that though reporters asked to see Biden enter the doctor’s office, they were denied that request. They probably wanted to see what kind of shape the old guy was in. There was no criticism from the White House press that Team Biden denied them access. DePauw University professor and media critic Jeffrey McCall says the media should settle down when it comes to praising Biden for transparency in a case like this. It’s a foot injury. And, a dog is involved.

“The traditional media should not be giving the Biden camp so much praise for transparency regarding an injured foot. It is easy to manage transparency when dealing with a foot injury while also mentioning a family pet. Plenty of good optics here,” McCall told Fox News.

“More than sitting back to take detailed medical reports from the Biden team about hairline fractures in a foot, perhaps the press should explore more about why the Biden campaign put a lid on so many days during the campaign, or even inquire more about the circumstances under which the former vice president was in a position to get hurt by his dog,” McCall added.

“Of course, the media will look for every opportunity to compare transparency of the Biden camp to the Trump administration, but doing so on the basis of a foot injury and a walking boot is quite the waste of time.”

Or, how transparent will Team Biden be if Joe sufferers another brain aneurism or more mini-strokes as his medical history indicates? It will be a lot different than the foot story. Still, even the foot story has shifted from its first telling. I invite you to read this latest account of the accident, told by Biden himself to CNN’s Jake Tapper.

“What happened was I got out of the shower. I got a dog and anybody who’s been around my house knows — dropped, little pup dropped a ball in front of me. And for me to grab the ball,” Biden told CNN journalist Jake Tapper in his first post-election joint interview with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.

“And I’m walking through this little alleyway to get to the bedroom. And I grabbed the ball like this and he ran. And I’m joking, running after him and grab his tail. And what happened was that he slid on a throw rug. And I tripped on the rug he slid on. That’s what happened. Oh man, not a very exciting story.”

First of all, dear Lord, this man can’t even string together complete sentences. Second, he calls Major “a pup”. Third, he went from being in the shower to running down a “little alleyway” to his bedroom. Does he mean to say a hallway? And, last, why is a 78-year-old man grabbing a rambunctious German Shepherd’s tail? Holy mackerel.

This is a picture of Major, Champ, and Jill Biden. Major is the black dog. Does Major look like a “pup” to you? It sure looks like he’s a full-grown German Shepherd. Maybe it’s just slang that Sleepy Joe uses when describing dogs.

Room Rater furry room. Major and Champ have a lovely room but they need to pack. 10/10 @DrBiden pic.twitter.com/NKUjAGE4ev

— Room Rater (@ratemyskyperoom) November 6, 2020

This is Major and Champ. They are the dogs of @JoeBiden and @DrBiden. Champ has already been to the White House, but Major hasn’t yet. Champ can’t wait to show him around. Both 14/10 would be an honor to pet pic.twitter.com/Zwqmx7X6FB

— WeRateDogs® (@dog_rates) November 7, 2020

Biden went from just slipping while playing with the dog to a whole shower and running through the house scene. No one needs that image. I’m glad that Major has a home and Champ has a companion but let’s hope Biden learns to stop pulling Major’s tail and remember his bones are fragile. Jill’s going to have to put him back in the basement.