US Elections 2020: Meet Champ and Major, the future first dogs of America

The United States President-elect Joe Biden is all set to bring two dogs with him to the White House after the inauguration ceremony scheduled on January 20. The former vice-president, who has been declared the next president of the United States by major media outlets after he secured a massive lead in the key swing state of Pennsylvania, has two pet dogs named Champ and Major Biden, who are all set to become the first dogs of the country. 

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According to the New York Post, Joe Biden had gifted Champ to his wife Jill after he won the election in 2008, which saw him become the deputy of former President Barack Obama. As far as Major is concerned, Biden adopted the rescue dog in 2018, after his daughter Ashley sent him a picture from the Delaware Humane Association. The organisation posted pictures of the Biden family formally adopting Major after fostering the pooch for a couple of weeks. 

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Dogs in the White House

The two German Shepherds will light-up the lawns of the White House once again after a gap of four years, as the sitting president Donald Trump is famously known for not having any pets. During the election campaign this year, Biden had posted a video from one of Trump's rallies, where the president can be heard asking his supporters, "How would I look walking a dog on the White House lawn?… I don’t feel good." Biden shared the clip with a caption that read, "Let's put dogs back in the White House."

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At least 30 US presidents have had dogs with them in the White House, including the first president George Washington. Although George did not live in the White House as it was not completed during his presidency, he had dogs with him at the then-official presidential residence. The last time the White House had first dogs was during Obama's presidency. Obama's family had two dogs named Bo and Sunny, a male and a female Portuguese water dog.  

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