Moldovan Dog Bites Man—but This Time, a President

Moldovan Dog Bites Man—but This Time, a President
Moldova's President Maia Sandu and her dog greet Austria's President Alexander Van der Bellen and Slovenia's President Natasa Pirc Musar in Chisinau, Moldova, on Nov. 16, 2023, in a handout picture. Maia Sandu via Facebook/Handout via Reuters
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CHISINAU—Moldovan President Maia Sandu’s dog overturned protocol on Thursday by biting visiting Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen on the hand, although Austria’s leader was forgiving and later gave the excitable pup a toy.

The incident, Moldovan media reported, occurred when the two leaders were strolling in the courtyard of the Moldovan presidential residence and Van der Bellen tried to pet the dog, a rescue named Codrut, or small forest.