Kaya, the family dog of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has mingled with plenty of high-level dignitaries, including US Secretary of State John Kerry.

However, last week Mr Netanyahu announced that the dog had been quarantined after biting an MK and a minister’s spouse during a Chanucah party at the PM’s residence.

The 10-year-old bitch bit Likud MK Sharren Haskel, before sinking her teeth into Or Alon, the husband of deputy foreign minister Tzipi Hotovely.

Mr Netanyahu had shouted, “Get away from her, she bites”, but the warning came too late.

Both Ms Haskel and Mr Alon were bandaged by medics and returned to the party. Ms Haskel, who is a veterinary nurse, was bitten as she tried to pat Kaya. “As a snake-catcher, a little nip from a dog won’t deter me!” she wrote on Twitter.

This was not the first time that Kaya had sunk her teeth into humans. According to Ynet, she bit Mr Netanyahu five months ago, and he had to get a rabies shot. Mr Netanyahu’s son, Avner, adopted Kaya in the summer. In August, the prime minister posted a photo of himself petting Kaya. “How much light Kaya brought into our home!” he wrote. “If you want a canine, find an adult dog to rescue. You won’t regret it!”

Kaya has been put in quarantine for 10 days while her behaviour is “assessed”.