U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden announced on June 19, 2021, that their German Shepherd, Champ, had died.
The Bidens made the announcement on social media and on the White House website, alongside a photograph of Champ:
The statement did not give a specific cause of death, but said he "passed away peacefully at home." It added:
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. 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. 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. 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.
The Bidens have another dog, Major, who was the first White House pet to be adopted from a shelter.
The statement concluded with, “We love our sweet, good boy and will miss him always.”