WASHINGTON – President Biden’s two German shepherds were moved to the family home in Delaware after one of the animals showed continued aggressive behavior towards the White House staff, according to a report.
A report published by CNN on Monday night said the dogs, Champ and Major, were removed after Major had what a person described as a “bite incident” with a member of the White House security team.
White House officials in the East and West Wings did not respond to requests for comment on Monday night. A person familiar with the dogs’ whereabouts said that Champ and Major were transferred to the family home in Delaware, but added that it was normal for them to stay there when Jill Biden, the first lady, was traveling. Dr. Biden is currently on the West Coast visiting military families as part of her United Forces initiative.
The dogs joined the Bidens at the White House shortly after the Bidens moved to Washington. Since then, they have been allowed to roam free on the grounds of the White House and have been given carte blanche to explore the complex. They are often part of the background in the photos of the Oval Office.
“They really have no rules, they are really good dogs,” said Dr. Biden to People magazine during a joint interview with her husband published in February. In that interview, Mr. Biden said that Champ was 14 and Major was about a year and a half.
Biden adopted Major in 2018 from the Delaware Humane Association after his daughter sent him a Facebook post about a litter of puppies for adoption. Major was part of a litter of six puppies that was exposed to toxins and recovered health before the agency listed them for adoption.
The major underwent “special training” to get used to the Biden family and was adopted for several months before the Bidens officially adopted him, said Kerry Bruni, the association’s director of animal care at the time.
“I imagine he has to learn to travel on airplanes and other things that normal domestic dogs don’t have to worry about,” said Bruni.