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US President Joe Biden with his wife Jill and the German Shepherd Puppy Commander
Photo: MICHAEL REYNOLDS / EPA
Both US President Joe Biden and his predecessors Donald Trump and Barack Obama delivered Christmas messages - each in their own way.
Biden and his wife Jill and their new dog, Commander, have wished soldiers abroad a Merry Christmas.
The German Shepherd Commander was sitting with the Bidens on the couch in the White House building complex on Saturday when the couple sent greetings to the military who were connected via video.
"This is Commander," said Biden.
"He's 16 weeks old." Jill Biden patted the animal that snuggled up to the US president.
The White House introduced the new dog on Twitter earlier this week.
Commander was a gift from Joe Biden's brother, said spokeswoman Jen Psaki.
He is very lovable and will bring a lot of joy to the President, his family, "and probably all of us."
In the days that followed, Commander could be seen frolicking in the White House garden.
After taking office, Biden had brought his two German Shepherds, Major and Champ, to the White House.
Champ died in the summer.
Major hit the headlines because of incidents involving White House staff - including biting a member of Biden's security team.
The dog now lives primarily in the family home in Wilmington, Delaware.
First Lady Jill Biden announced in the spring that a cat would soon be moving into the White House.
"We can assume that we will meet the cat (...) in January," said Psaki.
Biden's predecessors Trump and Obama also sent Christmas greetings to the population, which were very different: very briefly for Trump and also from an animal messenger for Obama.
Trump's press secretary Liz Harrington posted a statement from her boss on Twitter today that simply said, “Merry Christmas everyone.
We're going to make America great again! "
Obama's Christmas greeting was more warm and personal.
He posted a photo of the family dog Sunny on Twitter, sitting in front of a Christmas tree with a Santa hat on.
"Merry Christmas to everyone!
This year I got a little help from Sunny to help spread the Christmas cheer.
I wish you all a peaceful and merry Christmas with your loved ones. "
jso / dpa
