President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden have announced the death of their beloved 13-year-old German Shepherd.
The sad news was shared on social media on Saturday, June 20, namely on the 78-year-old Democrat's POTUS Twitter and Instagram accounts and the 70-year-old first lady's FLOTUS accounts.
Champ, who was one of two German Shepherds living at the White House with the Bidens, passed away peacefully at home, the pair confirmed.
In a joint statement, the Bidens said of their recent loss: "Our hearts are heavy today as we let you all know that our beloved German Shepherd, Champ, passed away peacefully at home."
Paying tribute to their beloved canine, they continued: "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.
"Wherever we were, he wanted to be, and everything was instantly better when he was next to us. 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.
"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."
Champ started living with the Bidens when he was a three-month-old puppy back in 2008, The Guardian reports. He had also lived at the couple's Washington residence when Biden was vice-president in the Obama administration.
In 2018, the Bidens were joined by a three-year-old German Shepherd named Major, who would later make history as the first rescue dog to live in the White House.
Under the previous administration, there were no dogs living at the White House with former POTUS Donald Trump and his wife Melania. Per The Guardian, the Republican was the first president in a century not to own a dog.
During Barack Obama's presidency, the first family lived with a male Portuguese water dog named Bo, from 2009, and later in 2013, Sunny, a female Portuguese water dog, joined them. Bo sadly died earlier this year in March following a battle with cancer.
