WASHINGTON – Champ, the Bidens’ German Shepherd, has died. He was 13.
“Our hearts are heavy today as we let you all know that our beloved German Shepherd, Champ, passed away peacefully at home,” President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden said in a statement. “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.”
>> Meet Champ and Major, the first pets of the White House
The Bidens got Champ in 2008 after promising his family to get a dog if they won the election.
They eventually got Champ as a three-month old puppy from a Pennsylvania breeder. His granddaughters named him. As vice president, Biden would hand out plush versions of the German shepherd to children.
“In his younger days, he was happiest chasing golf balls on the front lawn of the Naval Observatory or racing to catch our grandchildren as they ran around our backyard in Delaware. 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,” the Bidens said. “We love our sweet, good boy and will miss him always.”
Check back for more on this developing story.
