Champ, the German Shepherd who shared the life of the American presidential couple for 13 years, is no more.
“Everything was instantly better when he was by our side”
It was this Sunday that Joe Biden announced this sad news from their official Instagram account. Under the photo of Champ, with a graying muzzle, we can read the vibrant tribute that the President pays to his four-legged companion:
See this post on InstagramA post shared by President Joe Biden (@potus)
We have a heavy heart today to announce that our beloved German Shepherd, Champ, passed away peacefully at home.He has been our faithful and beloved companion for the past 13 years and was adored by the entire Biden family. Even though Champ's strength waned in his final months, when we walked into a room he would immediately get up, his tail still wagging, and beg us to scratch his ear or belly. Wherever we were, he wanted to be, and everything was instantly better when he was next to us. He loved nothing more than to curl up at our feet in front of a roaring fire at the end of the day, to join us as a comforting presence at meetings, or to soak up the sun in the garden of the House. White. Growing up, he was happy chasing golf balls on the lawn of the Naval Observatory or racing to catch up with our grandchildren running in our Delaware backyard. In our happiest moments and our most painful days, he was there with us, sensitive to our every unspoken feeling and emotion.We love our sweet boy and will always miss him.
Champ, alongside Major, another German shepherd who had hit the headlines recently for having bitten a White House employee, had signed the return of a canine presence at the White House.
No animal had indeed walked on the lawns of the gardens of the American presidential residence since the departure of Bo and Sunny, the dogs of the Obama family. Donald Trump had indeed not wanted to live with a pet during his tenure in Washington.