The Bidens' Dogs Move Back To Delaware After Biting Incident

Champ and Major Biden have now moved back to Delaware after a biting incident involving a member of White House security

When Joe Biden was elected president, dog lovers all over the country erupted in joy knowing that the Biden family’s pair of German Shepherds, Champ and Major, would be moving into the White House. Donald Trump didn’t have dogs so it was exciting to think of pups back in the Oval Office. Sadly, the dogs have now moved back to Delaware after a biting incident involving a member of White House security.

CNN reports that the dogs were moved back home last week after the incident, which reportedly involved Major, the younger of the two dogs. He was adopted from a Delaware animal shelter in 2018. There are no further details on the incident including what type of injuries the security person may have suffered, but it was serious enough that the dogs were removed, so that’s not super great news.

According to CNN’s sources, 3-year-old Major has displayed concerning behavior in the past including jumping, barking, and “charging” at staff and security. At 13, Champ is older and has slowed down some, so it appears the aggression issues are all Major. Last November, Joe Biden fractured his foot while playing with Major.

“What happened was I got out of the shower. I got a dog and anybody who’s been around my house knows — dropped, little pup dropped a ball in front of me, and for me to grab the ball,” Biden said when describing the incident. “And I’m walking through this little alleyway to get to the bedroom, and I grabbed the ball like this 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,” Biden said. “Oh man, not a very exciting story.”

Last month, First Lady Jill Biden appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show and described the process of moving the family pups into the White House. “I’ve been getting obsessed with getting our dogs settled because we have an old dog and we have a very young dog,” she shares. “They have to take the elevator, they’re not used to that, and they have to go out on the South Lawn with lots of people watching them. So that’s what I’ve been obsessed with, getting everybody settled and calm.”

Any dog owner knows that helping their beloved family members adjust to new situations can be difficult. My rescue lab is legit the sweetest dog on planet earth, but she still gets pant-y and nervous riding in cars, follows people who come into our house so she can obsessively sniff them, and definitely has thoughts when we take her somewhere new. The Biden pups had to adjust to a whole new place and a ton of new people, likely being handled by staff sometimes, not just the Bidens, as they were accustomed. It’s not surprising that a dog would act up under those circumstances and hopefully, they’re working on helping Major through it.

Regardless of the situation, it’s a huge bummer to hear that the First Dogs are no longer living at the White House. Luckily, a White House official tells NBC News that “yes, they will be back.”

“With the First Lady traveling for three days, Champ and Major went to Delaware to stay with family friends.”

That’s a relief to dog lovers everywhere.