The Slatest

Joe Biden’s Dog, Not Such a Good Boy After All?

Joe Biden's dog, Major, walking on the White House grounds with the Washington Monument in the background.
Major is on the loose, run for your lives! Adam Schultz/White House/Handout via Reuters

Like most American presidents, Joe Biden is a dog guy. Having a dog apparently polls well with the American people who apparently see dog ownership as a stand-in for other qualities they like. As such, dogs are handy political props. Tough times battling Congress? A scandal brewing? Poll numbers sagging? Need to look more energetic? Less energetic? No matter, get the pooch leashed up and ready for the 100-foot walk from Marine One to the White House door. Problem solved. Or at least distracted from. Biden, however, will no longer have canine support in the White House, at least temporarily, because CNN reports the first family’s two German shepherds were sent back to the Biden family home in Delaware last week after what’s being described as a “biting incident.”

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The younger of the Biden dogs, 3-year-old Major, was responsible for said “incident,” according to CNN. Major, who was adopted from a Delaware animal shelter in November 2018, apparently noshed on a member of White House security. For greater insight into Major’s demeanor at the White House, we again turn to CNN, which spoke to insiders who said Major had displayed “agitated behavior on multiple occasions, including jumping, barking, and ‘charging’ at staff and security.” The older of the presidential German shepherds, Champ, is 13 and has been around the block enough times to be wholly unimpressed by his running mate’s behavior.

Here’s a recent video of first lady Jill Biden being pro-dog. Major seems chill enough here. But you can never be too sure about dogs because they are, in fact, dogs.

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This is not the first time Major has made headlines; Biden, then president-elect, suffered a hairline fracture in his ankle Thanksgiving weekend that he says happened during a session horsing around with Major.

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