Schäfrarna Champ och Major flyttar in i Vita huset

Champ and Major are German Shepherd dogs owned by Jill Biden, an educator, and her husband Joe Biden, the president-elect of the United States.Major will be the first rescue dog living in the White House. There were no pets living in the White House during the four years of the Trump administration; this was the longest period without presidential pets in over one hundred years.Joe Biden promised his wife he would purchase a dog after the 2008 presidential election should Barack Obama manage to win the race. Jill Biden taped different pictures of dogs on seats of Biden's campaign plane for him to see. He purchased the dog as a puppy from a breeder in Pennsylvania, and it was named Champ (born c. 2008) by his granddaughters. Champ's name reminded Biden of advice given to him by his father who said "Any time you get knocked down, champ, get up!". Joe Biden has an affinity for German shepherds, having trained them in the past. Biden would give children little plush toys of Champ during his Vice Presidency.Major (born c. 2018) was a rescue from a litter that had been exposed to "something toxic" in their home, and their owner was unable to afford the expense of veterinary care for them. He was fostered by the Bidens earlier that year from the Delaware Humane Association's shelter and has been with them since late 2018. On the day Joe Biden adopted the dog from the shelter he stayed "telling stories and taking selfies with staffers" for over an hour. The origin of Major's name is not publicly known, but Beau Biden, Joe Biden's son with his first wife, Neilia Hunter, was a Major in the Delaware National Guard.Champ and Major both appeared in advertisements for Biden in his 2020 presidential campaign against Donald Trump. During the campaign Biden tweeted that "Some Americans celebrate #NationalCatDay, some celebrate #NationalDogDay...President Trump celebrates neither. It says a lot. It's time we put a pet back in the White House".