A pawlitical scandal: Moldova’s First Dog bites Austrian president

Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen found a dog’s bite to be worse than its bark on Thursday, when Moldovan President Maia Sandu’s rescue pooch bit the Austrian leader on the hand during his visit to Chişinău.

The incident, which was filmed by the media, occurred when Sandu and Van der Bellen were strolling through the courtyard of the Presidential Palace in the Moldovan capital.

Sandu brought her dog, a rescue named Codruț, to a photo-op with Van der Bellen and Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar, who was also present for the meeting, earlier in the day.

At one point, Van der Bellen reached down to pet Codruț, but the dog lunged at him and snapped at his right hand. Sandu apologized and explained Codruț had become overwhelmed.

“It’s many people,” she said. Van der Bellen was later photographed with a bandaged hand.

Sandu adopted Codruț, a former stray, in early 2023 after the dog was hit by a car, losing a leg.

“Codruț has been part of our team at the Presidency for about 7 months, after he was found in the street hit by a car. Unfortunately, we were not able to save his paw, but after a few months of treatment, he is now running happily on 3 legs,” she wrote on Instagram.

She has posted photos hiking with the three-legged pup on social media, turning Codruț into something of an online celebrity in Moldova.

Van der Bellen and Musar were in Chişinău to discuss Moldova’s bid to join the EU. In June, the country was granted candidate status along with Ukraine.

“Delighted to welcome presidents Van der Bellen of Austria and Musar of Slovenia to Chisinau today,” Sandu wrote on X. “Our discussions highlighted strong support for Moldova’s EU path, marking a significant moment in our journey towards European accession.”

Codruț was not available for comment.