President Joe Biden’s two German Shepherds, Champ and Major, are back to their rightful place at the White House, a couple of weeks after having been sent to the President’s Delaware home following an incident where the younger dog, Major, bit and injured a White House staffer.
Speaking to the press on Wednesday, March 24th, 2021, Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary confirmed that the two dogs were back at the White House. Jen didn’t say when the two canines arrived back at the White House.
Back At The White House
However, as Marine One landed on the South Lawn of the White House on the evening of Tuesday 25th, March 2021, one of the two dogs was seen on the balcony of the White House waiting to welcome the president back home. The president was coming from Columbus, Ohio, where he had just given a speech.
Jen Psaki said that the dogs left Delaware and met the president and his wife at Camp David, Maryland, where they spent a weekend before all of them flew back to the White House.
During an appearance on “Good Morning America” on March 17, the president had already confirmed to George Stephanopoulos that his two dogs would be returning back to Washington.
Speaking on the same interview, President Biden was also quick to defend Major, saying that the incident was a minor one and that the bite did not penetrate the victim’s skin. The president also pointed out that Major was a sweet rescue dog who was still trying to settle in his new home.
Incident Aftermath
Explaining the biting incident, the president said Major was startled by a Secret Service agent whom he was unfamiliar with, causing the dog to react in a way that resulted in a minor injury for the secret service agent. The injured agent got attended to within the White House, without any need for further treatment.
While it is believed that the two first dogs were sent to Delaware due to the biting incident, the president and the White House press have mentioned on a number of occasions that the Delaware trip had been planned even prior to the incident, due to the fact that the President and the First Lady were going to be away from the White House during that time.
However, during their leave of absence from the White Houses, sources have confirmed that the two dogs received some additional training to prevent the likelihood of such an incident being repeated.
The White House press secretary mentioned that even though the two dogs currently call 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue home, they still have a home in Delaware, and therefore, people should expect that the dogs will occasionally spend some time in Delaware.
12-year-old Champ has been part of the Biden’s life for over a decade now, while 3-year-old Major is a rescue dog who was adopted by the president from the Delaware Humane Association just two years ago.
