Meet Champ and Major Biden, Our New First Dogs

From Town & Country

For the whole of Donald Trump's tenure, the White House was a pet-free zone—a historical anomaly, as the last time the First Family didn't have any animal companions was over 100 years ago—but that's now changed, thanks to Champ and Major Biden. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden have two sweet, silly German Shepherds, who are settling into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with their parents.

The First Dogs arrived a few days after the inauguration, and are reportedly already feeling at home. "Champ is enjoying his new dog bed by the fireplace and Major loved running around on the South Lawn," the First Lady's office revealed, per Kenneth Moton. In a few photos, the pups can be seen enjoying themselves on the White House grounds—check them out below.

Major is a rescue dog who's been in the Biden clan since 2018. His brother Champ, on the other hand, came from a breeder in Pennsylvania in 2008, as a sort of post-election gift. ("He was promised the post-election dog by his wife, Jill, who would tape pictures of different dogs on the back of the seat in front of Biden on his campaign plane," Politico reported at the time.) Champ spent eight years in the vice presidential residence, and is no stranger to the burdens and privileges of living in the political spotlight.

By taking his canine family members with him to the White House, Biden is actually fulfilling a campaign promise. In October 2020, the President-Elect shared a clip of Donald Trump implying he would look silly walking a pet on the White House lawn, followed by a photo of Biden and one of his dogs. "Folks — you’re not just voting to put me in the White House. You’re also voting for Champ and Major," he captioned the video. "Let’s put dogs back in the White House."

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