President Biden Welcomes New Puppy After Champ Dies: Meet Commander

White House/News Pictures/Shutterstock

The White House has a new furry member of the first family running around. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden welcomed the new pup just before Christmas!

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden gave a new puppy their home on Monday December 20. Just five days before Christmas, the president tweeted out a warm welcome to the adorable new puppy, named Commander. The little German Shepherd looked excited in the photo that Biden tweeted out. It’s a sweet way to kick off the week before Christmas celebrations.

Along with the photo of Commander, Biden wrote his warm welcome to the latest addition to the his family. “Welcome to the White House, Commander,” he wrote. Commander is the third dog to live in the White House during Biden’s presidency. Commander was gift from the president’s family, according to CNN. Commander is the first new puppy to join the Bidens in the White House! The Bidens have also said that they plan to bring in a cat as another White House pet.  The president also posted a sweet video of him playing with Commander to welcome him to the White House, which included Joe walking him, feeding him, and playing fetch. What a good boy!

Commander’s arrival comes six months after the Bidens’ German Shepherd Champ died on June 19 at age 13. The president and first lady got Champ back in 2008, after President Barack Obama‘s historic election, which Joe Biden was the vice president for. “He was our constant, cherished companion during the last 13 years and was adored by the entire Biden family,” the first lady said in a statement announcing Champ’s passing.

Commander isn’t the only dog in the White House. The Bidens have owned another German Shepherd, Major, 3, since 2018. Major had been temporarily brought to Delaware in March 2021 for a few weeks after he’d bit a security guard and caused a minor injury on March 8. After the training, Major was spotted at the White House again on March 21, via NPR.

The president made it clear that he loves dogs, before he was even elected! While he was still campaigning for the Democratic nomination in October 2019, Biden took to his Instagram to share a photo with one of his German Shepherds. While he acknowledged that it was National Cat Day when he made the post, he pointed out that his predecessor, former President Donald Trump didn’t have any furry pals with him, while he was in office. “It’s time we put a pet back in the White House,” he wrote in the caption.