It’s a devastating loss for the U.S. President and First Lady: Their beloved German Shepherd, Champ, has passed away.
Champ was the “constant” and “cherished companion” of Joe and Jill Biden for the past 13 years.
“RIP to our sweet, good boy, Champ,” Dr. Jill Biden posted on a social media Saturday morning. “We will miss you always.”
Dr. Biden said Champ passed away peacefully at home.
“Even as Champ’s strength waned in his last months, when we came into a room, he would immediately pull himself up, his tail always wagging, and nuzzle us for an ear scratch or a belly rub,” she wrote in a tribute to the beloved pooch.
“Wherever we were, he wanted to be, and everything was instantly better when he was next to us. He loved nothing more than curling up at our feet in front of a fire at the end of the day, joining us as a comforting presence in meetings, or sunning himself in the White House garden,” she added.
Even before Champ, and his fur-brother, Major, moved into the White House in January, he made himself a fixture in public life — and the Biden family’s most private moments.
“In his younger days, he was happiest chasing golf balls on the front lawn of the Naval Observatory or racing to catch our grandchildren as they ran around our backyard in Delaware,” Dr. Biden explained.
Pets are always a source of great comfort for their owners. That was also true of Champ.
“In our most joyful moments and in our most grief-stricken days, he was there with us, sensitive to our every unspoken feeling and emotion,” Dr. Biden wrote. “We love our sweet, good boy and will miss him always.”
A nation of pet lovers will also mourn with the First Family.
RIP to our sweet, good boy, Champ. We will miss you always. pic.twitter.com/63hXXp8W9P
— Jill Biden (@FLOTUS) June 19, 2021
Champ was a very good boy, indeed.
