Who let the dogs out? Major and Champ Biden arrive at the White House
Champ and Major Biden are already taking over the White House, settling into fireside beds and running around the South Lawn. Picture: Adam Schultz/ White House
It’s official, the dogs are here. The public has eagerly awaited the arrival of the Biden pets to the White House since the first family confirmed last year that their two German shepherds would be joining them in Washington.
The wait is finally over, with First Lady Jill Biden announcing the duo's arrival yesterday on Instagram.
Champ and Major have already made their presence known since settling into their new home, with audible barks of approval heard in the background as President Biden signed an executive order yesterday lifting the ban on transgender people serving in the military.
President Biden’s dogs Champ and Major can be heard barking outside after Biden signs an executive order lifting a ban on transgender people serving in the military pic.twitter.com/O0Lur6amga
— JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) January 25, 2021
"The First Family wanted to get settled before bringing the dogs down to Washington from Delaware. Champ is enjoying his new dog bed by the fireplace, and Major loved running around on the South Lawn," Jill Biden's press secretary Michael LaRosa said.
The elder first dog, Champ, has been a proud member of the Biden family since 2008 when he was acquired as a puppy from a Pennsylvania breeder by then-Vice President Joe Biden.
Champ's name was inspired by Biden's father, who would call him 'champ' as a child. "He thinks he's Secret Service and he is," the President said last year.
Major joined the family in 2018 when the Bidens heard about a “litter of German shepherd pups that were surrendered and not doing well at all” at their local Delaware Humane Association shelter.
The family reached out immediately when they “caught wind of them,” the Association said in a Facebook post.
The pup is well used to featuring in headlines after his owner broke his foot while playing with him during last year's presidential campaign.
Major is the first shelter dog to live in the White House and was recently serenaded by Josh Groban, who recorded a special version of ‘How much is that Doggie in the window’ for his “indoguration”.
Ready for #Indoguration pic.twitter.com/ireGlW7VDr
— Naomi Biden (@NaomiBiden) January 17, 2021
The virtual fundraising event raised more than $200,000 and saw hundreds of participants nominate their own animals for positions in Major’s cabinet, such as Secretary of Rescue Dogs.
The Association said that Major’s move into his new home was “barking proof that every dog can live the American dream.”
Champ and Major are the first dogs to grace the White House since the Obama administration, when Malia and Sasha’s puppy Bo, a gift from Senator Ted Kennedy, roamed the famous grounds from 2009. His younger sister Sunny joined the family in 2013.
Other famous first pets include the Clintons rescue cat Socks and dog Buddy, Caroline Kennedy’s pony Macaroni, Lyndon B. Johnson’s dog Yuki, who was rescued by his daughter Luci after being abandoned at a petrol station, and George H.W. Bush’s springer spaniel Millie, who featured in an episode of The Simpsons.
Build Bark Better.
— Dr. Jill Biden (@DrBiden) August 26, 2020
Happy #NationalDogDay. pic.twitter.com/64HXEBscwO
We might also see the first pet family expanding over the next four years, with the First Lady saying she would love to get a cat. “I love having animals around the house,” she told a Washington news outlet recently.
The new White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, has already been hounded on the topic, saying she's also "wondering about the cat because the cat is going to dominate the internet whenever the cat is announced and wherever that cat is found."
We eagerly await the first feline's ‘paw’sible arrival.
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