Meet Very Good Boys Champ and Major, The New First Dogs

When president-elect Joe Biden takes the oath of office in January, his two German shepherds will become the nation’s first dogs.

After the dumpster fire that was 2020, we can finally focus on what matters most: dogs, and how adorable they are. After the AP called the presidential election for Biden, it didn’t take long for Twitter to remember the Biden family pets.

Dog lovers will understand how boop-able future first dogs Champ and Major’s noses are in the photo with Dr. Biden. The pair are well-trained, sitting quietly on their dog beds, faced mostly toward the camera, waiting patiently for their picture. Such good boys. Most of us dog owners can’t get our dogs to sit still long enough to open the front door, much less take a picture. And the names – Champ and Major – are chef’s kiss perfect. The couple’s granddaughters picked the name Champ, after a phrase Biden’s father often told him growing up: “Any time you get knocked down, champ, get back up!”

Champ’s adoption was the fulfillment of a 2008 election promise Biden made to his wife. If the Obama-Biden ticket won, the couple would get a new dog. While on the campaign trail, Dr. Biden taped pictures of dogs to the back of airplane seats to make sure her husband didn’t forget his promise.

In November 2018, Champ welcomed Major into their home as his furry little brother. President-Elect and Dr. Biden first fostered the little guy, but soon decided to make him part of their family permanently – because who could resist those ears? This makes Major the first ever rescue dog in the White House. Good boys Champ and Major now have their own Twitter and Instagram accounts, because of course they do; as of this writing, the profiles count over 100,000 followers and almost 8,000 followers respectively.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CHU4XPBnA2n/

The new first dogs will follow a tradition of presidential pets. Donald Trump is the first President to not have a pet in the White House for over 120 years – James K. Polk was the last president who didn’t have a pet. According to ABC news, Trump nixed the idea of having a dog, asking his supporters, “how would I look walking a dog on the White House lawn?”

Eager to set himself apart from the Orange One, President-elect Biden made Champ and Major part of his social media campaign, promising to ‘put dogs back in the White House.”

Here’s a shot of one of our new first dogs as he stands outside the family home in Delaware. Excuse me as I imagine a cold January morning in 2020, as this little doggo stands outside the West Wing, watching carefully to make sure Donnie gets the hell off his lawn.