President Joe Biden poses with family dogs, Champ and Major, in the Oval Office of the White House. Adam Schultz
President Joe Biden poses with family dogs, Champ and Major, in the Oval Office of the White House. Adam Schultz
President Joe Biden poses with family dogs, Champ and Major, in the Oval Office of the White House. Adam Schultz
President Joe Biden poses with family dogs, Champ and Major, in the Oval Office of the White House. Adam Schultz

Lifestyle

President Joe Biden poses with first dogs Champ and Major in the Oval Office

The German shepherds are the first pets to take residence at the White House since Barack Obama's Portuguese water dogs, Sunny and Bo

Evelyn Lau
Evelyn Lau
Abu Dhabi

February 24, 2021

  • English
  • Arabic

The first dogs are making themselves at home. Official White House photographer Adam Schultz has shared a photo of President Joe Biden and his canine companions, Champ and Major, in the Oval Office.

The photo shows a smiling Biden posing with his two German shepherds, who have been part of his family for years.

Champ, the elder of the two, has been with the Bidens since 2008 and lived with them during their time as vice president and second lady.

Major is relatively new to the family as he was adopted from the Delaware Humane Association in November 2018. He is the first rescue dog to reside at the White House.

Another photo from the White House Flickr account showed Champ watching a meeting that Biden held with senior advisers on February 9.

They are the first pets in the White House since former president Barack Obama’s Portuguese water dogs, Bo and Sunny.

Over the years, the White House has been home to dozens of dogs and other pets, but former president Donald Trump did not carry on that tradition, even at times going so far as to ridicule the idea.

While not a big part of their campaign strategy, the Biden team played to American dog lovers and promoted the idea of putting dogs back in the White House during the 2020 election.

Scroll through our gallery below to see other former presidential pets in the White House:

  • US First Lady Jill Biden with First Dog Champ outside the White House, in Washington on Sunday, January 24. EPA
    US First Lady Jill Biden with First Dog Champ outside the White House, in Washington on Sunday, January 24. EPA
  • US president Ronald Reagan and his pet dog Lucky, with British prime minister Margaret Thatcher in the White House Rose Garden in 1985. AP
    US president Ronald Reagan and his pet dog Lucky, with British prime minister Margaret Thatcher in the White House Rose Garden in 1985. AP
  • First lady Jacqueline Kennedy, with Clipper the German shepherd, standing with her sister, Princess Lee Radziwill of Poland, and niece, Anna Christina Radziwill, on the walkway outside the Oval Office. Reuters
    First lady Jacqueline Kennedy, with Clipper the German shepherd, standing with her sister, Princess Lee Radziwill of Poland, and niece, Anna Christina Radziwill, on the walkway outside the Oval Office. Reuters
  • President Bill Clinton and first lady Hillary Clinton walk Buddy the chocolate labrador across the South Lawn of the White House to board Helicopter Marine One in March 1998.
    President Bill Clinton and first lady Hillary Clinton walk Buddy the chocolate labrador across the South Lawn of the White House to board Helicopter Marine One in March 1998.
  • President Theodore Roosevelt with his wife, Edith Roosevelt, five of their children and their dog, Skip, who was one of many pets they moved into the White House in 1901. Library of Congress
    President Theodore Roosevelt with his wife, Edith Roosevelt, five of their children and their dog, Skip, who was one of many pets they moved into the White House in 1901. Library of Congress
  • President Franklin D Roosevelt with his dog Fala at a picnic on Sunset Hill. At the time, Fala was four months old. Wiki Commons
    President Franklin D Roosevelt with his dog Fala at a picnic on Sunset Hill. At the time, Fala was four months old. Wiki Commons
  • Bo, left, and Sunny, the Obama family dogs, on the South Lawn of the White House in August 2013. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
    Bo, left, and Sunny, the Obama family dogs, on the South Lawn of the White House in August 2013. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
  • Major, one of the family dogs of US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, explores the South Lawn after his arrival from Delaware. Reuters
    Major, one of the family dogs of US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, explores the South Lawn after his arrival from Delaware. Reuters
  • President Barack Obama is almost jerked off his feet as he walks Portuguese water dog Bo, then six months old, with his daughters Malia and Sasha Obama in April 2009. AP
    President Barack Obama is almost jerked off his feet as he walks Portuguese water dog Bo, then six months old, with his daughters Malia and Sasha Obama in April 2009. AP
  • Socks, president Bill Clinton's cat, at the White House Press Briefing Room lectern in 1993. Wiki Commons
    Socks, president Bill Clinton's cat, at the White House Press Briefing Room lectern in 1993. Wiki Commons
  • First lady Nancy Reagan holding the Reagans' pet Rex, a King Charles spaniel, as she and president Reagan walk on the White House South Lawn. AP/Shutterstock
    First lady Nancy Reagan holding the Reagans' pet Rex, a King Charles spaniel, as she and president Reagan walk on the White House South Lawn. AP/Shutterstock
  • President Gerald Ford and first lady Betty Ford pose with Liberty, their golden retriever on the South Lawn of the White House in May 1975. Shutterstock
    President Gerald Ford and first lady Betty Ford pose with Liberty, their golden retriever on the South Lawn of the White House in May 1975. Shutterstock
  • President Herbert Hoover with his pet Belgian shepherd dog King Tut. Hoover was president from 1929 to 1933. Wiki Commons
    President Herbert Hoover with his pet Belgian shepherd dog King Tut. Hoover was president from 1929 to 1933. Wiki Commons
  • President Lyndon Johnson with his dog, Him. The president caused a storm of protest when he lifted his dog by his ears in May 1964. Wiki Commons
    President Lyndon Johnson with his dog, Him. The president caused a storm of protest when he lifted his dog by his ears in May 1964. Wiki Commons
  • Laddie Boy, an Airedale terrier owned by president Warren G Harding. Harding was president from 1921 to 1923. Wiki Commons
    Laddie Boy, an Airedale terrier owned by president Warren G Harding. Harding was president from 1921 to 1923. Wiki Commons
  • President George W Bush plays with his Scottish terriers, Barney and Mrs Beazley, on the South Lawn of the White House in April 2005. AFP
    President George W Bush plays with his Scottish terriers, Barney and Mrs Beazley, on the South Lawn of the White House in April 2005. AFP
  • Archie Roosevelt with his Calico pony, Algonquin, on the White House Lawn in 1902 when his father Theodore Roosevelt was president. Wiki Commons
    Archie Roosevelt with his Calico pony, Algonquin, on the White House Lawn in 1902 when his father Theodore Roosevelt was president. Wiki Commons
  • First lady Grace Coolidge with Laddie Boy, an Airedale terrier, and Rob Roy, a white collie, in September 1924. Calvin Coolidge was president from 1923 to 1929. Wiki Commons
    First lady Grace Coolidge with Laddie Boy, an Airedale terrier, and Rob Roy, a white collie, in September 1924. Calvin Coolidge was president from 1923 to 1929. Wiki Commons
  • First lady Barbara Bush pets family dogs Millie, bottom, and Ranger on the steps of the White House, while waiting for George H Bush to return from playing golf. AP
    First lady Barbara Bush pets family dogs Millie, bottom, and Ranger on the steps of the White House, while waiting for George H Bush to return from playing golf. AP
  • Susan Ford, daughter of Gerald Ford, and the family's Siamese cat, Shan, in 1974. Wiki Commons
    Susan Ford, daughter of Gerald Ford, and the family's Siamese cat, Shan, in 1974. Wiki Commons

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3. More tax audits

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4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

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