Champ, a German shepherd who was part of the Biden family, has died at the age of 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.
“He was our constant, cherished companion during the last 13 years and was adored by the entire Biden family. 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,” the statement said.
Champ entered the Biden family after the 2008 election.
According to Politico, Biden picked out Champ when the dog was a month old during a visit to a breeder in Chester County, Pennsylvania.
During the 2008 campaign, Jill Biden had said that she was getting her husband a dog.
He was promised the post-election dog by his wife, Jill, who taped pictures of various dogs on Biden’s campaign plane.
Awwwww. So sweet. ? https://t.co/kmH1AkZ2p5
— Alicia Carlson (@AmicaAli) June 19, 2021
“Wherever we were, he wanted to be, and everything was instantly better when he was next to us,” the White House statement announcing Champ’s passing said.
“He 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.”
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden say Champ, the older of their two dogs, has died peacefully at home. The 13-year-old German shepherd was “adored by the entire Biden family,” they wrote. https://t.co/RW2M19K1nC
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 19, 2021
The statement noted the dog’s presence in the family when Biden was vice president under former President Barack Obama and lived on the grounds of the Naval Observatory in Washington.
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“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. We love our sweet, good boy and will miss him always,” the statement said.
Back with the family at the house with the big lawn. https://t.co/BZjE4MYFRw
— Major Biden (@MajorBiden) March 24, 2021
The Bidens have another dog, Major.
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Major was at first fostered by the family in March 2018, then later adopted.
Major has been involved in two biting incidents at the White House.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.