The White House announced the death of 'Champ', one of President Joe Biden's dogs

06/19/2021 1:54 PM

• Clarín.com

• World

Updated 06/19/2021 1:54 PM

The White House announced this Saturday the death of 'Champ',

one of the two dogs of the president of the United States

, Joe Biden, and the first lady of the country, Jill Biden.

"We are saddened to report that our beloved German Shepherd Champ has died peacefully at home. He

has been our constant companion for the past 13 years

, and was adored by the entire Biden family," the presidential family lamented in a statement.

Biden with his two dogs, both German Shepherds.

"In our happiest moments and in our most tragic days,

he has always been with us

, sensitive to every silent feeling and emotion," he added.

"We love our sweet and good boy, and

we will always miss him,

" concludes the note.

The family has another dog, rescued from a shelter, another 3-year-old German shepherd named 'Major'.

Since the Bidens arrived at the White House, the dogs have made headlines on more than one occasion and generally

for their misbehavior

.

During the month of March, the youngest dog attacked two people from the presidential environment and had to receive classes in decorum and behavior.

Major, 3, and Champ, 12, had to be transferred to the Bidens' residence in Delaware after the first incident.

The US president said Major was being

trained

in Delaware, but he refuted the idea that the dog had been sent away after the bite.

He said the dogs were flown to Wilmington because the presidential couple was going to be out of the US capital.

The president said at that time that the youngest of the dogs is "

a sweet dog

" and that in the White House "

85% of the people love him

."

However, days later Major returned to bite

a Secret Service agent

and the victim was treated by the White House Medical Unit "

as a precaution

" and returned safely to work.

During that same month, Jill Biden told The Kelly Clarkson Show that she spent a lot of time getting

the dogs settled in their new home

.

"They have to take the elevator,

they are not used to that

, and they have to go out to the south lawn

with a lot of people watching them

. So that's what has obsessed me, making everyone feel comfortable and calm," he said.

The White House has a long history with pets, although

Donald Trump

was the first president in more than 100 years

to not have a dog

.

Major is the first shelter dog to live in the White House, however President Lyndon B. Johnson also had a rescued dog, a terrier mix named Yuki.

Yuki was found at a Texas gas station by the president's daughter, Luci,

on Thanksgiving in 1966

, according to the website for the Presidential Pet Museum, which collects information on White House pets.