As Team USA Was Honored At The White House, Monica Sereda’s Service Dog Biscuit Stole The Show

Monica Sereda competes during the women's T1-2 time trial at the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 on Aug. 31, 2021 in Tokyo.

He was all dressed up, with places to go and important people to meet.
Attired in a patriotic bow tie, Biscuit the service dog made the most of his visit to Washington, D.C., mingling with Senate staff at the Capitol, strolling through the White House and posing for photos with President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.
The 9-year-old black Labrador and companion to Paralympic cyclist Monica Sereda was one of the hits of the Team USA Week celebration of Olympic and Paralympic athletes, held in D.C. in early May.
“He stole the show,” Sereda said. 
The White House visit included more than 600 athletes from the Tokyo and Beijing Games. It was the first time in recent history winter and summer competitors were honored together, after the pandemic forced a one-year postponement of Tokyo participants’ visit.
“I’m sorry you had to wait a year,” the President said in his remarks at the South Lawn ceremony.
Biscuit wasn’t the only four-legged visitor at the celebration that happened to take place during National Pet Month. Triathlete Amy Dixon; seven-time track and field Paralympic medalist Amanda McGrory, and eight-time Paralympic swimming and triathlon medalist Brad Snyder — among others — were accompanied by their service dogs. All received a warm welcome from the Bidens.
“I asked (event planners), ‘Is bringing Biscuit going to be an issue?’” Sereda said. “They said, ‘Oh no! The Bidens love dogs.’”
The Presidential couple is well-known for their affinity for canines. First Dog Commander, an 8-month-old German Shepherd, was adopted by the Bidens in December after their dog Champ, also a German Shepherd, died at age 13. (Another young Shepherd, Major, was gifted to family friends after he struggled to adjust to life in the White House.)
Commander has settled in just fine. His Instagram (@commanderfirstdog) shows him frolicking on the lawns and lazing around in the Oval Office. He even gets along fairly well with First Cat Willow.
As a veteran, the 54-year-old Sereda took special pride in the White House visit. She served 24 years in the U.S. Army, retiring in 2011 as a master sergeant. In 2012, while driving home from her job as a government contractor, her Chevrolet Tahoe got rear-ended by a box van. She suffered a traumatic brain injury as well as neck and back injuries that required fusion surgeries. 
For a time, Sereda was thrust back into “almost a childlike state,” with severe difficulty communicating. While working with a counselor for her speech, she also sought help for PTSD. In coordination with her psychologist, she decided a service dog would be beneficial. In 2015, she was paired with Biscuit.
“(Biscuit) is a trained Southeastern Guide Dog,” Sereda said. “He keeps me calm, he helps with my balance, he helps keep my PTSD under control.”
Sereda began cycling as part of her rehabilitation program and started entering competitions in 2017, riding a cutting-edge, three-wheeled trike. She made her world championships debut later that season, and in her Paralympic debut in 2021 in Tokyo she placed fourth in the road race and seventh in the time trial.

Monica Sereda competes during the women's T1-2 time trial at the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 on Aug. 31, 2021 in Tokyo.

There have been a few injuries along the way. A 2018 crash in Italy resulted in two broken ribs and a torn rotator cuff, requiring surgery. In December, she fell in her driveway, damaging her repaired rotator cuff and prompting another surgery. She wore a sling during her D.C. visit, but it didn’t dampen her enthusiasm.
“It was a wonderful experience,” Sereda said of the four-day event. “Monday, there were classes all day — feedback from the Games, interviewing skills, social media, how to get your story told. It was very beneficial for all of us.”
On Tuesday, the Team USA group visited the Capitol Building, and on Wednesday morning, buses transported them to the White House, where a military band played from 8:30 am onward.
“I did not know, even though I am retired military, that people from the Pentagon — mostly officers — volunteer (to lead tours) when groups go through the White House,” Sereda said. “They are so knowledgeable. We saw the dining room, the Green Room, the library — we all went through at our own pace.”
Biscuit, too, enjoyed himself.
“I had him wear a red, white and blue bow tie, so he could meet the president and be dressed for the occasion,” Sereda said.
When an opportunity arose, she asked the President, “Will you please take a picture with me and  my dog, sir? And he said, ‘I would love to!’ And he loved all over Biscuit.” Sereda snapped a picture later posted on Instagram as proof.