Major (born January 17, 2018) is a
German Shepherd
The German Shepherd or Alsatian is a German breed of working dog of medium to large size. The breed was developed by Max von Stephanitz using various traditional German herding dogs from 1899.
It was originally bred as a herding dog, fo ...
formerly owned by
Joe Biden's family.
Major, who was born in 2018, is the first
shelter dog
Pet adoption is the process of transferring responsibility for a pet that was previously owned by another party such as a person, shelter, or rescue organization. Common sources for adoptable pets are animal shelters and rescue groups. Some ...
to live in the White House.
Previously, President
John F. Kennedy and his wife
Jackie
Jackie or Jacky may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Jackie (given name), a list of people and fictional characters named Jackie or Jacky
** Jackie, current ring name of female professional wrestler Jacqueline Moore
** Jackie Lee (I ...
had also owned two German Shepherds.
Major 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
Joseph Robinette "Beau" Biden III (February 3, 1969 – May 30, 2015) was an American politician, lawyer, and officer in the Army Judge Advocate General's Corps from Wilmington, Delaware. The oldest child of current U.S. president Joe Bi ...
, Joe Biden's son, was a major in the
Delaware National Guard.
Incidents
On November 28, 2020, then-President-elect Biden
fractured his foot while playing with Major. Biden said in an interview that Major was waiting to play after the president-elect emerged from a shower: "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."
On March 8, 2021, Major and
Champ
Champ is the short form of champion. It may also refer to:
People
* Champ (nickname)
* Champ (surname)
* Champ Butler (1926–1992), American singer
* Champ Lyons (born 1940), justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama from 1998 to 2011
* Champ Se ...
(Biden's other German Shepherd) were temporarily moved to live with a family friend in Delaware after a minor incident in which Major nipped a security guard. Major has been known for displaying agitated behavior on multiple occasions, in the past including "jumping, barking, and charging" at staff and security. Joe Biden noted in an interview that the bite did not penetrate the skin. They returned to the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington, D.C., NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. preside ...
on March 24 after Major received some training, including training on how to live with
a future cat that the Bidens adopted in the White House. On March 30, Major was involved in a second biting incident at the White House, having bitten a
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government within the United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of ...
employee during a walk.
Major is not the first presidential dog to have biting incidents. In separate incidents,
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
's dog
Major (who was also a German Shepherd) bit
United States Senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and p ...
Hattie Wyatt Caraway
Hattie Ophelia Wyatt Caraway (February 1, 1878 – December 21, 1950) was an American politician who became the first woman elected to serve a full term as a United States Senator. Caraway represented Arkansas. She was the first woman to pres ...
, and attacked
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As moder ...
Ramsay MacDonald, tearing MacDonald's pants off.
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
's
bull terrier
The Bull Terrier is a breed of dog in the terrier family. There is also a miniature version of this breed which is officially known as the Miniature Bull Terrier.
Appearance
The Bull Terrier's most recognizable feature is its head, descri ...
Pete
Pete or Petes or ''variation'', may refer to:
People
* Pete (given name)
* Pete (nickname)
* Pete (surname)
Fictional characters
* Pete (Disney), a cartoon character in the ''Mickey Mouse'' universe
* Pete the Pup (a.k.a. 'Petey'), a charact ...
bit numerous people, even tearing the pants off of
ambassador of France to the United States
The French ambassador to the United States is the diplomatic representation of the French Republic to the United States. They reside in Washington, D.C. The current ambassador is Philippe Étienne.
List of Ambassadors
References
{{Lists of he ...
Jean Jules Jusserand
Jean Adrien Antoine Jules Jusserand (18 February 1855 – 18 July 1932) was a French author and diplomat. He was the French Ambassador to the United States 1903-1925 and played a major diplomatic role during World War I.
Birth and education
B ...
.
Political activities
In July 2020, Biden's granddaughter, Naomi, posted a tweet showcasing Champ and Major fighting over a Donald Trump chew toy. Though the tweet was subsequently deleted, the photo resurfaced on social media before the
2020 United States presidential election.
Champ and Major both appeared in advertisements for Biden in his
2020 presidential campaign against President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of ...
who had no pets in the White House.
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."
Three days before the
inauguration of Joe Biden
The inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States took place on Wednesday, January 20, 2021, marking the start of the four-year term of Joe Biden as president and Kamala Harris as vice president. The 59th presidential ...
, the Delaware Humane Association held an "indoguration" for Major. More than 7,400 people attended via
Zoom
Zoom may refer to:
Technology Computing
* Zoom (software), videoconferencing application
* Page zooming, the ability to magnify or shrink a portion of a page on a computer display
* Zooming user interface, a graphical interface allowing for imag ...
and it featured a performance by
Josh Groban
Joshua Winslow Groban (born February 27, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. His first four solo albums have been certified multi-platinum, and he was charted in 2007 as the number-one best selling artist in the United States, wi ...
. The event also raised $200,000 in donations for the association.
Departure from the White House
In December 2021, on the day the Bidens announced a new puppy,
Commander
Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain ...
, was to move into the White House, it was also announced that Major would no longer be a resident there after experts recommended that it would be safer for him to live in a quieter environment with family friends.
Gallery
File:Champ and Major arrive at the White House 01.jpg, Champ and Major arrive at the White House in January 2021.
File:Champ and Major arrive at the White House 02.jpg, Major on the White House lawn in January 2021
File:Champ and Major arrive at the White House 03.jpg, Major running on the White House lawn in January 2021
File:President Joe Biden greeting Major and Champ, 25 January 2021.jpg, President Biden playing with Champ and Major in the White House Rose Garden
The White House Rose Garden is a garden bordering the Oval Office and the West Wing of the White House in Washington, D.C., United States. The garden is approximately 125 feet long and 60 feet wide ( by , or about 684m²). It balances the Jacq ...
in January 2021
File:President Joe Biden walking with Major and Champ, 26 January 2021.jpg, President Biden walking with Champ and Major through the White House Rose Garden in January 2021
File:Major looking out window, 28 January 2021.jpg, Major in the Oval Office
The Oval Office is the formal working space of the President of the United States. Part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, it is located in the West Wing of the White House, in Washington, D.C.
The oval-shaped ro ...
in January 2021
File:Major and Champ playing in the snow, 2 February 2021.jpg, Champ and Major playing in the snow on the South Lawn
The South Lawn at the White House in Washington, D.C., is directly south of the house and is bordered on the east by East Executive Drive and the Treasury Building, on the west by West Executive Drive and the Old Executive Office Building, ...
of the White House in February 2021
File:First Lady Jill Biden and Major, 3 February 2021.jpg, Major and Jill Biden in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House in February 2021
File:Joe Biden petting Champ and Major in Oval Office, 9 February 2021.jpg, President Biden with Champ and Major in the Oval Office in February 2021
See also
*
List of individual dogs
This is a list of individual famous actual dogs; for famous dogs from fiction, see List of fictional dogs.
Actors
Advertising
* Axelrod, Basset Hound, appeared in commercials and print ads for Flying "A" Service Station advertisements i ...
*
United States presidential pets
Most United States presidents have kept pets while in office, or pets have been part of their families. Only James K. Polk, Andrew Johnson, and Donald Trump did not have any presidential pets while in office. However, Johnson did take car ...
References
{{Joe Biden
Biden family
German shepherds
United States presidential dogs
2018 animal births