The dog of the 🇲🇩 Moldovan president, Maia Sandu, has overturned protocol by biting the visiting 🇦🇹 Austrian president, Alexander Van der Bellen, on the hand.

The incident occurred on Thursday when the two leaders were strolling in the courtyard of the Moldovan presidential residence in the capital, Chișinău, and Van der Bellen tried to pet the dog, Moldovan media reported.

Sandu apologised in English and said the dog, a rescue named Codrut, meaning small forest, had become frightened by the large numbers of people nearby. At Van der Bellen’s next meeting, with the speaker of Moldova’s parliament, the Austrian president appeared with his hand bandaged.

In a video posted to Instagram on Friday, Van der Bellen sympathised with the dog. “Everyone who knows me knows I’m a big dog lover and can understand his excitement,” he wrote, adding that his meeting with Sandu and other officials had been “very good”.

Van der Bellen said he had given the dog a small toy on the last day of his visit.

The talks in Chișinău, attended by Van der Bellen and the president of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar, focused on the bid by Moldova, which lies between Ukraine and Romania, to join the EU.

Sandu, who rescued the dog after it was hit by a car, posted pictures on social media of her pet with the two presidents.

The Guardian || Sky News

Dogs don't like strangers touching them, especially in the head

What were they doing alone in the conference room prior? If the man's fingers were still smelling of rotten fish then the dog's action is justified.

If a dog bites a man, it's not news


But when a man bites a dog, that's news

Most dogs are not tamed to tickle there furs or forehead.

Back in the days, the Germans would have invaded Moldova for this.

This Is hilarious ,thank your stars 🌟 it didn't bite your finger off. Alhamdulilahi 🙏

Oyibo and pet dogs are like 5 and 6

End time dog.

It would've been serious cause for speculation if it happened to our President. Not even the gods would have been left out as many religious leaders/spiritualists would have definitely had a say on what that bite portends for the nation. See them, e carry bandage still go do im duty without beef! No need to immediately fly anywhere, even to his own nation to treat his hand. Dis life no really hard, na we dey use our own hand dey cause hardship for oursef!

He goofed, dogs dont like to be touched on the head without them giving u permission to, it may sound somehow but dogs observe you so well and observe your demeanor too, scent your body to know if you have bad intention before coming close to you. And if it senses any danger from you, it would just give u space, and when u now try to come closer, it would try to avoid your touch as much as possible, but if u insist, it would charge at you or give u a frail warning bite, not serious bite though warning you to back the hell off, I own a German shepherd and a samoyed, I know these guys too well

Ikaeniyan0:
Back in the days, the Germans would have invaded Moldova for this.

No be lie
In the past, incidents like this sparked brutal wars

Just imagine Vladimir Putin visited your country and this happened. Just prepare for nukes in your country and say your last prayer.

Pathetic

Dogs are a good judge of character.

As the saying goes Wahala no dey finish

Ikaeniyan0:
Back in the days, the Germans would have invaded Moldova for this.

na true oo

This may lead to another European war

World war three is coming

I'm waiting for our naija perenial Muslims protester to protest this too

What a diplomatic mishap, the dog suppose collect but unfortunately na presidential dog.

Nobody is above the law when it comes to breaching the safety of a head of state, at least except for this bingo here

Bingo don overdo

So make we fry beans..??

That one na western issue; developed countries and their troubles.
For Africa here, we have not a little dog, but a bully; one that bites her subjects with wounds all over.

Unfortunately, no one seems to be coming for their rescue.

The dog had become frightened by the large numbers of people nearby.

Dogs : A man's best friend.

iykecicero:
This dog should bite Tinubu on his blocos at the G20 jamboree he's attending. The drug baron must suffer and get sense by force.

Incoherent jargons by nairaland.com kids as usual.

KingOfAllIgbos:
I behave exactly like Mark Girland in one of the Hadley Chase books.

I would walk up to a strange dog and pat it confidently on the snout.

But strictly foreign dogs ooo . Not all these ekukes.

Hmmmm, reminiscent times.
One of our favorite Chase's novel......
When men were boys and
Women were girls.....

This dog should bite Tinubu on his blocos at the G20 jamboree he's attending. The drug baron must suffer and get sense by force.

I behave exactly like Mark Girland in one of the Hadley Chase books.

I would walk up to a strange dog and pat it confidently on the snout. Dogs LOVE me. They see & smell no fear.

But strictly foreign dogs ooo . Not all these ekuke local breeds.

The local breeds no go read any body language na meat them go see for your hands.