Bidens announce death of their German shepherd, Champ

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden’s German shepherd Champ died this week.

The president and first lady said in a statement Saturday that Champ “passed away peacefully at home.”

“He was our constant, cherished companion during the last 13 years and was adored by the entire Biden family,” the statement said.

“Even as Champ’s strength waned in his last months, when we came into a room, he would immediately pull himself up, his tail always wagging, and nuzzle us for an ear scratch or a belly rub. Wherever we were, he wanted to be, and everything was instantly better when he was next to us,” it added. 

The president and first lady said in the statement that the dog “loved nothing more than curling up at our feet in front of a fire at the end of the day, joining us as a comforting presence in meetings, or sunning himself in the White House garden.”

They noted that “in his younger days” he enjoyed chasing golf balls on the front lawn of the U.S. Naval Observatory, where the couple lived when Joe Biden served as vice president under former President Obama’s administration. 

“In our most joyful moments and in our most grief-stricken days, he was there with us, sensitive to our every unspoken feeling and emotion. We love our sweet, good boy and will miss him always,” the Saturday statement said.   

Our family lost our loving companion Champ today. I will miss him. pic.twitter.com/sePqXBIAsE

— President Biden (@POTUS) June 19, 2021

RIP to our sweet, good boy, Champ. We will miss you always. pic.twitter.com/63hXXp8W9P

— Jill Biden (@FLOTUS) June 19, 2021

The Bidens have a younger German shepherd, Major, whom they adopted in 2018.

Major may not be the only first pet in the White House for long, however; the Bidens have said they intend to welcome a cat to the White House during the president’s time in office.

Major made headlines earlier this year after he was involved in multiple biting incidents at the White House.

Following the first incident in March, when Major reportedly bit a security team member, the president told “Good Morning America” that “Major did not bite someone and penetrate the skin.”

“I guess what surprised me is the White House itself, living there. Every door you turn to, there’s a guy there in a black jacket,” he said.

“You turn a corner, and there’s two people you don’t know at all,” he added. “And he moves to protect.”