Biden: My dogs have privileged access to the oval office 2:13
(CNN) -
The Biden family announced Saturday that Champ, their "beloved German Shepherd" who has been with the family since 2008, had died.
Champ passed away at the Biden family home in Wilmington, Delaware, a White House official told CNN.
"We are saddened today and let everyone know that our beloved German Shepherd Champ passed away peacefully at home," President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden said in a statement.
"He was our constant and beloved companion for the past 13 years and was adored by the entire Biden family."
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The Bidens added: “He liked nothing more than curling up at our feet in front of the fire at the end of the day, joining us as a comforting presence at meetings, or sunbathing on the White House lawn.
In his youth, he was more than happy to chase golf balls on the Naval Observatory's front lawn or run to chase our grandchildren as they ran through our backyard in Delaware. "
President Joe Biden pats the Champ family dog in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday, February 24, 2021.
Champ joined the Biden family during the presidential transition in December 2008, weeks after Biden became vice president-elect.
Champ, the Bidens said Saturday, was with the family during its "happiest times" and "most painful days."
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In recent months, Champ's health had deteriorated due to his advanced age.
The German shepherd was one month old when Biden chose him from a breeder's litter in Spring City, Pennsylvania.
The acquisition of Champ was a promise kept by Jill Biden, who said her husband could have a dog if he and Barack Obama won the presidential election.
During the 2008 vacation, Biden's grandchildren helped name the new puppy Champ, an homage to the nickname Joe Biden's father gave his son, according to Biden's press secretary at the time.
Biden has had a long relationship with the breed, and in an interview that occurred shortly after landing Champ, he said, "I've had German Shepherds since I was a child."
The Bidens also have another German Shepherd named Major, a 3-year-old puppy they adopted in November 2018 from the Delaware Humane Association.
Biden told reporters earlier this year that he had adopted Major in part as a partner for Champ, in order to keep him busy and active.
The two dogs appeared in ads for Biden's 2020 presidential campaign.
Less than a week after his inauguration, Biden restored the presidential tradition of bringing pets to the White House by taking Champ and Major with them.
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A post shared by First Lady Dr. Jill Biden (@flotus)
"Champ is enjoying his new dog bed by the fireplace, and Major loved running around the south lawn," the first lady's press secretary, Michael LaRosa, told CNN at the time.
This year, the dogs spent a brief time in Delaware following an incident involving Major, but returned to Washington in late March.
Jill Biden pointed out during a February appearance on Kelly Clarkson's talk show that getting Champ and Major acclimated to living in the White House was something she was focused on.
"They have to take the elevator, they are not used to that, and they have to go out to the south garden with a lot of people watching them," added the first lady.
"So that's what has obsessed me, making everyone feel comfortable and calm."
Biden told Clarkson that the company of the dogs was constant.
They like to be wherever we are.
Even if my door is closed, they're sitting right outside the door like, 'Let me in!
Let me in! '”He commented.
It was a sentiment echoed in this Saturday's statement from the president and the first lady, who noted: “Even when Champ's strength waned in his final months, whenever we entered a room, he would immediately stand up, his tail always he wiggled and nuzzled us to get us to scratch his ear or to get a belly rub.
Wherever we were, he wanted to be, and everything was instantly better when he was by our side.
"We love our sweet good boy and will always miss him," they added.
CNN's Jason Hoffman contributed to this report.
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