President Biden’s two German shepherds have been moved out of the White House and returned to the Biden family home in Delaware after one of them showed aggressive behavior, reports said Monday.
According to CNN, Major, who was adopted by Biden in November 2018 from a Delaware animal shelter, had what one source described as a “biting incident” with a member of White House security. The exact condition of the victim is unknown.
On Tuesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed Major caused an injury and was handled by the White House medical unit.
“[Champ and Major] are still getting acclimated and accustomed to their surroundings and new people. And on Monday, the first family’s younger dog, Major, was surprised by an unfamiliar person and reacted in a way that resulted in a minor injury to the individual,” said Psaki.
The 3 year old German Shepherd has been known to display agitated behavior on multiple occasions, including jumping, barking, and “charging” at staff and security, according to CNN. The older of Biden’s German Shepherds, Champ, is approximately 13 and has slowed down physically due to his advanced age.
According to a person familiar with the two dogs, they like to remain together, something Biden noted last month. Biden said he adopted Major in part as a companion for Champ, to keep the older dog busy and active.
“We got Major, he’s a rescue dog. We asked the vet, ‘What can we do to keep Champ going?’ and he said, ‘Get him a young dog.’ They’re buddies,” Biden told the media on Valentine’s Day while walking the two German Shepherds unleashed on the North Lawn.
Champ and Major grabbed media attention when they both moved into the White House in January, less than a week after Biden’s inauguration.
“I’ve been getting obsessed with getting our dogs settled because we have an old dog and we have a very young dog,” Jill Biden told Kelly Clarkson last month during an appearance on “The Kelly Clarkson Show.” “They have to take the elevator, they’re not used to that, and they have to go out on the South Lawn with lots of people watching them. So that’s what I’ve been obsessed with, getting everybody settled and calm.”
This is not the Major’s first incident, in November it was reported he was the culprit of Joe Biden’s November foot injury, which resulted in hairline fractures and the wearing of a corrective boot.
Biden described the accident during an interview with CNN. “What happened was I got out of the shower. I got a dog and anybody who’s been around my house knows — dropped, little pup dropped a ball in front of me, and for me to grab the ball,” Biden explained. “And I’m walking through this little alleyway to get to the bedroom, and I grabbed the ball like this and he ran. And I’m joking, running after him and grab his tail. And what happened was that he slid on a throw rug, and I tripped on the rug he slid on,” he said. “Oh man, not a very exciting story.”
Psaki at Tuesday’s press briefing said the trip to Delaware by the family dogs was “previously planned already,” and that they were being cared for there by “family friends.” Psaki did not say when exactly the dogs might return to the White House, only that it will be “soon,” according to the CNN report.