This is the real story of the US election: the Biden dogs! The presidential abode will be gaining a couple of new four-legged occupants now their master, POTUS 46, has moved in.
Both German Shepherds, Champ was brought in as a puppy in 2008 after becoming Vice-President in 2008. Joe’s wife Jill kept her promise to get him one after he emerged victorious, his name being given to them by their grandchildren, referring to Joe’s own father’s occasional nickname for him.
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Major came along much later in 2018. Originally fostered from the Delaware Humane Association (a non-profit organization dedicated to the care of both homeless and homed dogs), he was later formally adopted as a full-time member of the Biden family.
Major’s arrival in the White House will be a particular milestone; he’ll technically be the first shelter dog to be part of a presidential family. The Delaware Human Association marked the occasion by captioning a picture of Major: ‘First Dog Elect’.
We say ‘technically’ as Lyndon B Johnson’s terrier, Yuki, was found at a gas station by his daughter Luci, and subsequently given to him as a present.
Even so, Major’s presence has been welcomed by various animal charities, like the ASPCA in the below Instagram post:
Champ and Major mark the latest in a long tradition of the White House playing host to furry friends – incidentally, Donald Trump was the first president in over 100 years not to have one.
Barack Obama had two Portugese Water Dogs called Bo and Sunny; Bill Clinton shared his space with a chocolate Labrador called Buddy; George W Bush owned two Scottish terriers, Miss Beazley and Barney; and Franklin D Roosevelt’s Scottish terrier, Fala, was a regular fixture in the White House, recipient of his own secretary to answer his regular fan mail. We suspect that Champ and Major may soon need similar treatment...
