Joe Biden adopted a German Shepherd from a shelter, named him Major Biden

Joe Biden is probably going to run for president in 2020. He’s made moves for months, and he’s left himself open to it in interviews. So it makes sense that this is a “sign” that he’s getting serious about running: Joe Biden has adopted a shelter puppy. Joe and his wife Dr. Jill Biden apparently fostered and then adopted a German Shepherd from the Delaware Humane Society, and the DHS posted photos of their new addition. They named him Major. Major Biden!! I was hoping for something impossibly Irish, like Seamus Biden or Malarkey Biden.

Meet the newest member of the Biden family! Joe and Jill Biden adopted a German Shepherd named Major from the Delaware Humane Association on Saturday. The organization shared photos of the former vice president, 75, and his new four-legged family member on Facebook, including a photo of the pair spending time with one another at a local shelter.

“We are so happy to welcome Major to the Biden family, and we are grateful to the Delaware Humane Association for their work in finding forever homes for Major and countless other animals,” the Bidens said in a statement obtained by CNN. Major, who joins Biden’s other German shepherd named Champ, “is from the litter of German shepherd pups that were surrendered and not doing well at all,” according to the Delaware Humane Association. “Once we posted about them for your help, Joe Biden caught wind of them and reached out immediately. The rest is history!”

The Delaware Humane Association also shared that the Bidens had been fostering Major.

“Today is Major’s lucky day! Not only did Major find his forever home, but he got adopted by Vice President Joe Biden & Dr. Jill Biden!” the organization happily announced.

[From People]

I forgot about Champ Biden, who is around 10 or 11 years old. Now I feel sorry for Champ a little bit – he’s getting older, and his mom and dad wanted a fresh new puppy for the campaign trail. Enter Major, who is going to be used as a cynical prop for two years!! No, I jest. I bet Major will enjoy sitting with Joe and Jill as they watch football games and give him good-boy scritches.

Joe Biden at the presentation of the 2018 Liberty Medal to George W Bush and Laure Bush at The National Constitution Center

Photos courtesy of Delware Human Society, Avalon Red.

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47 Responses to “Joe Biden adopted a German Shepherd from a shelter, named him Major Biden”

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  1. Ye says:

    Man I miss Obama and Biden…

    Congratulations Major!

  2. Izzy says:

    LMAO the look on that dog’s face though! “Me?? Who, me? I have a new fren?!”

    Priceless.

    • minx says:

      LMAO. That’s exactly what he looks like.

    • Giddy says:

      All my life I have heard the expression “you lucky dog”. Now I truly know what it means. Major is grinning because he knows that this time the lucky dog is him.

    • Digital Unicorn says:

      I LOVE the dogs expression – he’s looks very happy and pleased with himself. He’s thinking ‘Yeah suckers, am gonna be the next Presidential dog. Bite me!”.

  3. Natalia says:

    Yes, absolutely adorable! ❤❤❤

  4. Lindy says:

    I love the look on that dog’s face! Lucky doggie.

    But I really wish Biden wouldn’t run. We just need the previous generation of moderate Dems to step aside. I don’t want to see Bernie or Biden or Hilary on the ticket at all. Obviously I’ll vote for whoever’s running (and I don’t necessarily think Beto is ready for prime time yet either). But it feels hard to get excited about Biden.

    • Giddy says:

      I hope Biden does run, but with a VP candidate chosen from the group of new young leaders. Kamala Harris, Beto, etc., there is plenty of talent to choose from. I think it would be good to have an elder statesman restore dignity to the presidency and respect and peace to the White House. And Jill Biden would be a wonderful FLOTUS. The VP would have time to get seasoned and could run next.

    • FilmTurtle says:

      Biden is the only one I would wholeheartedly support running. For this reason: he is warm, compassionate, has empathy, and he regularly accidentally swears and blunders, and has never tried to shave off those rough edges. He’s also spent eight years in the White House and has the respect of our military. He knows the score. The Dem who gets the job in 2020 is going to be putting out a LOT of fires. He’s a grown-up and he’s not divisive. We need that kind of leadership.

    • Kitten says:

      Same. I want someone without all the baggage. No one needs to be reminded of 2016.

      • Caitrin says:

        I’m stanning Klobuchar/O’Rourke. She’s got the policy bona fides and bipartisan appeal, and he’s a road warrior/fundraiser who can stump around the country.

      • Kitten says:

        I like that combo a lot. Klobuchar was so impressive during the Kavanaugh nightmare and O’Rourke would be a great and inspiring VP.

      • Tiffany :) says:

        I like that team, Caitrin!

    • SamC says:

      Biden also was the major driver behind the Violence Against Women Act and, eventually, the Office of Violence Against Women, and did incredible work making sure it stayed relevant and, more importantly, funded, throughout his time in office.

  5. Erinn says:

    “I forgot about Champ Biden, who is around 10 or 11 years old. Now I feel sorry for Champ a little bit – he’s getting older, and his mom and dad wanted a fresh new puppy for the campaign trail. ”

    Or they realize the mortality of their dog and want to have a puppy transitioned in that can be taught how to be a good boy by their current older and wiser pup. I can’t fault them for that – losing my first pet after moving out and buying a house with my husband was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. And having another furkid to help you get through the pain of that it the smartest thing to do for a lot of people.

    • OriginalLala says:

      when our two cats were 10 we adopted a new kitten and I swear, having her around rejuvenated the older gals! They have alot more energy now and play like kittens again. She keeps them young 🙂

      • minx says:

        We have mixed older and younger cats and dogs and everyone has gotten along fine.

      • Erinn says:

        When we bought our house the cat we lost in August had come with it. She was 13 at the time. We had already adopted a kitten from the shelter about two months before finding out that Patch was coming with the house. It took a lot of effort to get them to get along because Fynn just wanted to wrestle and play, and poor Patch was horrified. She was still pretty active for an older gal, but health issues eventually caught up with her. But they ended up being frienemies in the end, and got along as well as they could.

        When Patch died, Fynn mourned. I didn’t think they liked each other that much, but Fynn was just so sad afterwards. She’d cry in the night, looking for Patch. She lost a bit of weight, she was a bit nervous. She just seemed kind of lost – missing her sparring partner, I guess. When we picked up our kitten Cricket last month I was bracing for the kind of difficult introduction we had with Fynn and Patch. Fynn is about 5.5 now, so still pretty young. She wasn’t impressed at first – but never hated each other. The kitten follows her around which sometimes drives her nuts – but I catch them wrestling and chasing each other all the time now – not in an angry way, in a playful way. We got Cricket some boosters on Saturday morning and she was suuuper dopey afterwards. Fynn kept looking at the kitten, looking at us, and meowing because she was so confused that she wasn’t being tailed by a fluff ball at all times. By this morning they were back to wrestling and romping through the house, so she’s bounced back. But it’s so nice to see Fynn having an exercise outlet and play buddy after having to constantly peel her away from the elderly cat.

      • Nicole(the Cdn one) says:

        Yeah, I don’t get the snark. A loving home for a rescue pet is a great thing and given their history with fostering and pets it seems disingenuous to suggest they use animals as props.

        We always thought we were content with our two cats, but when a starving, frozen stray showed up on our doorstep, it didn’t even occur to me to surrender him to a shelter. Two surgeries and 10 months later, we couldn’t imagine our life without him even though our girl is less thrilled than we are. Love isn’t finite and adding a pet doesn’t detract from the love you have for the ones you already have.

    • windyriver says:

      They also fostered Major first, so already know he’s a good fit for Champ.

      And even if that hadn’t worked out, it was still good of them to foster Major, get him used to living in a home and be a potential adoption candidate for someone else. That’s a sizable animal, not everyone would be willing or able to take that on.

      • Erinn says:

        Yup, exactly. I love this story, and I’m glad it all worked out.

      • bananapanda says:

        The Bidens have had a couple of German Shepherds over the years. They clearly know the breed and temperament.

        I love the expression on Major’s face!

    • Lightpurple says:

      We had a 12 year old beagle with back problems (she had disc surgery) when a cousin’s Golden Retriever had puppies. My cousin gave my Mom one of the pups. The beagle took charge and trained the puppy. She was housebroken in about a week. The older dog was in complete control and seemed to enjoy having a follower. She even trained the puppy to leave our older cat and her belongings alone.

    • Avid says:

      I swear my mom’s dog would have died at least a year younger if not for her new puppy. She went from grumpy, creaky old lady to playful middle-aged pup for the first year he was around. It was a treasure beyond words to see her joy at her young new friend, and that quality of life made the whole thing worthwhile.

  6. Beth says:

    Such a beautiful dog! Champ’s lucky to have a new buddy around

  7. Lightpurple says:

    Look at that beautiful doggie smile! Best wishes to Major, Champ, Joe and Jill!

  8. minx says:

    We lost our Aussie to cancer two months ago and are just starting to search. Our dog is out there sonewhere.

    • Maum says:

      Sorry to hear that Minx, how sad! Good luck in your search.

    • BengalCat😻 says:

      I’m so sorry, Minx ❤ My old roommate had an Aussie and she was the best dog I’ve ever met. She used to ‘herd’ me around the kitchen and curl up on my bed with the cats. Your new love dog is out there!

    • cannibell says:

      Oh, Minx, I’ve been there. The first time I walked into the Humane Society after our Beloved Girl died, I bawled my eyes out. I wasn’t ready to *get* a dog at that point, but I was ready to look. Which I did for awhile, and on one of those subsequent trips, a little pointy-eared pup who looked enough different from Tuki but also kind of similar caught my eye….and eventually our hearts.

      Best to you and your family. xoxo

      • minx says:

        ❤️

      • Rhea says:

        This is *exactly* my experience. I lost my sweet Kate on Labor Day and found my sweet Margaret at the humane society. Kate was a terrier and Mags is a lab but they both have the same sweet disposition. Filled the whole house with joy again.

    • Nana says:

      I just came across ‘Dog’s last will and testament” after clicking the link on Justin Theroux’s instagram to the rescue group that he got his pit through (on a study procrastination bender…). Watched their video and the “will” at the end of it… rang so true. Never really got it until I brought home a rescue dog.
      We grieve hard for our much beloved old pets when they go, but we honour them and their memory by taking in neglected and abused animals, who live with the anxiety of being in a shelter and have experienced so little of the love we shared with our oldies.

      And that pic of Major – just beautiful 🙂

      • Tiffany :) says:

        “We grieve hard for our much beloved old pets when they go, but we honour them and their memory by taking in neglected and abused animals, who live with the anxiety of being in a shelter and have experienced so little of the love we shared with our oldies.”

        Yes!!!! I said goodbye to my old girl back in December, then rescued a dog in July.

    • noway says:

      I had an Aussie who died too, and he was just the best dog. I still miss him, but a little less than a year later I went to the spca and adopted a hound/beagle mix. I always went and looked but never got one. He just kind of spoke to me from his cage. This dog just appreciates his home and people, every blanket, bed and sofa. You can see it in his face he’s happy to be rescued, and he rescued me from missing my Aussie. At first I thought I wanted another Aussie, cause mine was just so great then when I went to look this dog just caught me. Your new dog is out there, and it’s so hard to lose your fur buddies, I’m sorry.

      All I have to say is go Vice President and Dr. Biden. Thanks for living the talk and adopting a pet when you can. That dog is also just so happy like shelter dogs get when they find their true people.

  9. aaa says:

    Major’s facial expression is everything!

  10. Pansy says:

    I have a GSD, and my goodness he’s the best, sweetest, smartest thing ever. I laugh and say (but mean every word) that he literally reads my facial expressions. Congrats Biden family!

    • Thirsty Hirsty says:

      After my home was broken into in 1981 and I was hurt, I needed a dog because I couldn’t exactly sleep with a gun or a knife under my pillow. My landlord was good to agree. I adopted a 3 year old GSD and then worked with a trainer (who was squadron leader of the City Police dog squad) so the dog would do exactly what I needed it to should the need ever arise again…I’m grateful it didn’t. That dog was my soul mate. She knew what I needed from her sometimes even before I did. Losing her at 13 was hard, I felt like part of my soul had been ripped away. I know now that it is easier to lose an elderly dog when another is still living in the home, so I totally get what the Bidens are thinking, and bless them for it. Adopt, please don’t shop. And if after adoption there are issues, I now work (no charge, tho’ I’m happy to accept a lasagna!!!) through rescues to help the pups stay in the families they already have rather than be re-surrendered. I also take in foster pups whenever possible. My most recent foster was an emergency surrender cause he growled at granny and bit their handyman. Now he has rules (you may not leave the house ahead of me, I will lead you out), boundaries (you may not assume you can lean on me just because I am sitting on the sofa, you need to be invited up) and limitations (you may not eat until you are calm, you may not get out of the car until you are calm, we do not move forward until you are calm) and he has turned into the most amazing dog! Trouble is, he’s small and cute so when he goes into his new homes and they treat him with soft energy (ohhh, he’s so cute) and don’t demand good behaviour, everything goes out the window, he becomes an assertive little ass again and like a boomerang, comes back). If I have two dogs, I cannot take in any more fosters, so he’s really gumming up the works. Still he’s pretty cool now, and I love him! I hope the right person comes along soon though……..

  11. girl_ninja says:

    Where’s Jill? I miss Dr. Biden.

  12. Esmom says:

    Aw, so sweet. I love that they fostered him, too. That is what is known as a “foster fail,” I believe, lol. Unless the goal was to eventually adopt him, of course.

  13. ojulia123 says:

    What a beautiful doggo!

  14. Div says:

    I actually don’t think Biden is running. He campaigned for a lot of people, but he’s avoiding spending time significant time in New Hampshire etc. which is pretty common for people who run. He’s not my first choice, but I think he would be a good president.

    Also, that is one cute dog

  15. Veronica S. says:

    I like that Jill got referred to by her doctorate title along with her name. We tend to ignore those honorifics way too often when discussing women.

    That’s a very cute dog. I’m not a huge canine person (they’re great pets, but I find them exhausting and prefer cats), but if I had to have one, I’d probably go for one of those larger breeds. There’s something very satisfying about a large, solid dog.