Joe Biden: Commander is the US President's new dog

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Puppy Commander: The newest resident of the White House

Photo: HANDOUT / AFP

In the summer, Joe Biden had to announce the death of his German Shepherd - now there is a four-legged addition to the White House.

The US President introduced the puppy Commander on Monday with a photo and a short video on Twitter.

According to media reports, the sheepdog is said to be a gift from the family to the 79-year-old.

Biden greeted him with the words "Welcome to the White House."

The published video clip shows the President throwing a ball and Commander dashing after him.

The animal is said to be a German Shepherd.

After taking office, Biden had brought his two dogs of the same breed, Major and Champ, into the White House.

Champ had died in June at the age of 13.

Major hit the headlines because of incidents involving White House staff - including biting a member of Biden's security team.

Biden's spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, described the first incident awkwardly at the beginning of March: Major was surprised by an "unknown person" and reacted in a way that led to a "minor injury" in this person.

The dog now lives mainly in the family home in Wilmington and is unlikely to return to power.

A cat will be added in January

First Lady Jill Biden had actually announced in the spring that a cat would soon be moving into the White House.

A spokeswoman told CNN that it should be ready in January.

Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump, was the first president in more than a hundred years to not bring a dog into the White House.

“What would I look like if I were walking a dog on the White House lawn?” Trump asked once.

Biden used this in the election campaign for an ironic commercial with the title "Choose your people wisely".

jok / dpa