Not so good doggie! Animal lovers were thrilled when President Joe Biden brought back first pets to the White House, moving in German Shepherds Champ and Major on Jan. 24 after Donald Trump broke a 115 year tradition by not having a first animal. But the dogs are now reportedly at Joe and First Lady Jill Biden‘s Delaware home after Major, the younger of the pets, allegedly got into a “biting incident” with a member of the White House security, CNN reports. The couple adopted Major from an animal rescue in 2018, making him the first ever rescue dog to live in the White House. HollywoodLife.com has reached out to the White House for comment on the first dog situation.
The news outlet cites sources who say Major has shown “agitated behavior on multiple occasions, including jumping, barking, and charging” at White House staffers and security. It’s unclear what the condition of the alleged victim is, but it was serious enough that the dogs are now at the Biden’s Wilmington, DE home, CNN reports. Since Joe adopted Major when he was a private citizen, the pup might have had a hard time adjusting to the bustling life inside the busy White House.
The couple’s 13-year-old GSD Champ is far more mellow, thanks to his advanced age and the fact that he was with the Bidens in Washington D.C. while Joe served as President Barack Obama‘s veep from 2009-2017. Jill had promised Joe they could get a dog if he became vice president, and that’s how Champ joined his human family in late 2008, after the Obama-Biden ticket came up victorious.
The First Dogs—Champ and Major—arrived at the White House on Sunday from Delaware.
The two German shepherds are the first pets to live at the executive mansion since the Obama administration. https://t.co/imJ5jzdi7a pic.twitter.com/JXChPJQBXF
— ABC News (@ABC) January 25, 2021
Major’s youthful energy already caused Joe to end up in a foot boot following his presidential victory in Nov. 2020. The two were playing at home in Delaware on Nov. 28, and and a slippery rug caused the then-President Elect to fracture his right foot. Biden’s physician revealed that initial x-rays didn’t show an obvious break, though a hairline fracture was later detected.
Biden told reporters after debuting his right foot boot, “And I’m walking through this little alleyway to get to the bedroom. And I grabbed the ball…and he ran. And I’m joking, running after him and grab his tail. And what happened was that he slid on a throw rug. And I tripped on the rug he slid on. That’s what happened. Oh man, not a very exciting story.” But it is something a lot of dog owners can probably relate to!