Bidens’ older dog Champ has died was 13

Bidens’ older dog Champ has died was 13.

President Joe Biden announced Saturday that Champ, the older of the family’s two dogs, had died “peacefully at home.” The German shepherd was 13 years old.

“He was our constant and beloved companion for the past 13 years and was adored by the entire Biden family,” Biden and First Lady Jill Biden said in a statement posted on the president’s official Twitter account. The Bidens will spend the weekend at their home in Wilmington, Delaware.

The Bidens obtained Champ from a breeder after Biden was elected vice president in 2008. Champ was a fixture both in the vice president’s residence at the Naval Observatory and now in the White House.

In their statement, the Bidens said that when Champ was young, “he was happiest chasing golf balls on the Naval Observatory’s front lawn,” and that more recently he enjoyed “joining us as a comforting presence at meetings or basking in the sun. Garden of the White House “.

Champ’s passing leaves the Bidens with their youngest German Shepherd, Major, whom the family adopted from the Delaware Humane Society in 2018 (Twitter / @ FLOTUS).

“In our happiest moments and in our most painful days, he was there with us, sensitive to our every unspoken feelings and emotions,” the Bidens said.

Champ’s passing leaves the Bidens with their youngest German Shepherd, Major, whom the family adopted from the Delaware Humane Society in 2018.

Occasionally, the Bidens could be seen walking their two dogs on the South Lawn of the White House, and the dogs would sometimes join the President on trips to Camp David or on home visits to Delaware.

Major has made headlines for his bad behavior in the past. Major caused Biden to sustain a foot injury in November after the then-president-elect tripped over the younger dog while playing.

Major and Champ were brought home to Delaware at one point, and Major went through training after the younger dog had two separate biting incidents at the White House and an unknown dog appeared to have defecated in a White House hallway.

Champ, who showed his age in recent months with his graying fur and slower gait, used to be a calmer presence.

The Bidens are expected to bring a cat to the White House to join the family soon.