USA / Biden's German Shepherd to become first rescue dog in White House

Washington: President-elect Joe Biden will be bringing dogs back into the White House for the first time in four years.

Mr Biden owns two German Shepherds, Champ and Major, who he and his wife Jill adopted from the Delaware Humane Association in November 2018, 10 years after they purchased Champ from a breeder.

Following Mr Biden’s inauguration, Major’s arrival will mark the first time a rescue dog has lived in The White House.

At the time that the Bidens adopted Major, they released a statement welcoming him to the family.

“We are so happy to welcome Major to the Biden family, and we are grateful to the Delaware Humane Association for their work in finding forever homes for Major and countless other animals,” the couple said.

Both Champ and Major made frequent appearances on Mr Biden’s social media platforms in the run-up to the US election.

In October, he shared a video of himself stroking Major on Instagram alongside the caption: “No ruff days on the trail when I have some Major motivation”.

In the short clip, Major can be seen licking Mr Biden’s face.

In another video posted on Instagram, Mr Biden shared several clips of other dogs wearing pro-Biden merchandise, concluding the video with a photograph of himself and Jill sitting outside alongside both Major and Champ.

On Saturday, Biden was declared the winner of the US presidential election after managing to flip key Republican states.

The vice-president elect, Kamala Harris, will be the first woman of colour to enter The White House