The First Dogs Arrived at the White House

For the last four years, the White House didn't play host to any first pets, but that changed over the weekend, when President Joe Biden's German shepherds, Champ and Major, arrived in the people's house from Delaware. CNN reports that the Biden family wanted to settle in before bringing in the last two members of the family. The move-in process included a five-hour deep clean of the entire residence on Inauguration Day, People noted, to ensure that every inch of the White House was sanitized.

"The First Family wanted to get settled before bringing the dogs down to Washington from Delaware. Champ is enjoying his new dog bed by the fireplace, and Major loved running around on the South Lawn," Michael LaRosa, first lady Jill Biden's press secretary, told CNN in a statement. Dr. Biden also shared the news on the FLOTUS Instagram account.

The Bidens welcomed Champ to the family in December 2008, just weeks after he and former President Barack Obama won the election. Later, in November 2018, Major, a shelter dog, joined the pack. He'll have the honor of being the first shelter dog at the White House. Dr. Jill Biden noted that she would "love to get a cat," telling Fox 5, "I love having animals around the house."

On Sunday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki mentioned the possibility of a feline friend coming to the White House.

"I'm also wondering about the cat, because the cat is going to dominate the internet whenever the cat is announced and wherever that cat is found," Psaki said while answering questions submitted to Twitter.

Former President Donald Trump and his family did not have any pets in the White House for the single term that they lived in the White House. Prior to the Trumps, the Obamas shared the executive residence with their dogs Bo and Sunny, a pair of Portuguese water dogs.