The White House Dogs Have One Rule They Must Follow

In case you missed it, dogs are finally back in the White House. And we're not going to lie, it's about time! Champ and Major Biden, the two German Shepards owned by President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, are currently living large in the nation's capital and are set to have the lay of the land for the next 4 years. 

"They're really good dogs," Dr. Biden told People. "We trained them from the beginning," the President added. "Champ is old, he's 14 years old and he was extremely well-trained by the Canine Corps and he thinks he's Secret Service, but Major, who is a big, little dog, is about a year-and-half-old and the only rule Jill has and he follows it: do not get up on the furniture." But that doesn't mean he always follows the rule. Biden admits that whenever their granddaughters stay over, "[w]e walk in, he sneaks in, he jumps up on the bed with them."

President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden got Champ from a Pennsylvania breeder in 2008. In past speeches, Biden has recalled how his father would tell him, "Any time you get knocked down, champ, get up!" and that's exactly where they got his name from (via BBC News). 

Major, on the other hand, was adopted in 2018 and is the first-ever shelter dog to live at the White House. According to Marie Claire, the reason they got Major was to keep Champ active. "My vet said, 'Your shepherd's 12 years old. He's getting slow. The best thing to keep him going is get another little puppy,'" Biden shared. And the rest is history.

The pups have already been pictured playing in the snow on the South Lawn (via Twitter) and in a commercial promoting wearing a mask during the COVID-19 pandemic. "The unconditional love from a dog is one of the most beautiful things on earth and we owe it to them to keep ourselves healthy," Dr. Biden says alongside Champ and Major (via YouTube). "Please keep wearing your mask, even when you're out walking your dog," she added.