Moldova's First Dog bites Austrian president

After Commander, US President Joe Biden's biting German shepherd, Moldova's presidential pooch Codrut is in the spotlight after nipping Austria's head of state during a visit this week.

Codrut, who was adopted by Moldova's President Maia Sandu a few months ago, snapped at Alexander Van der Bellen when he tried to pet her on Thursday.

Van der Bellen, 79, sustained a light injury he dismissed as not "half as bad" as it appeared in video footage.

The Austrian leader said on social media Friday that he could "understand" the dog's excitement as "he was nervous because of all the people around him".

The dog of President of #Moldova bit a President of #Austria when he tried to pet him, the Moldovan TVR reports. pic.twitter.com/zHjBRlnjE8

— Viktor Kovalenko (@MrKovalenko) November 17, 2023

"Everyone who knows me knows that I'm a big dog lover," said the Austrian president who is known to walk his own dog on the streets of Vienna.

Codrut has not been officially reprimanded, and was even given a dog toy by Van der Bellen as a parting gift.

That was not the fate of Commander, who was removed from the White House in October after the Secret Service said 11 of its agents had been bitten.

The Austrian president was in Chisinau to support Moldova's bid to join the European Union along with neighbouring Ukraine in the wake of Russia's invasion against Kyiv.

This month, the European Commission recommended opening formal membership talks.