© Al Drago-Pool/Getty ImagesThe White House.
President Joe Biden's top spokesperson said Tuesday that the first family's German shepherds remained "beloved members" of the White House family amid reports that the two dogs had been relocated to Delaware following aggressive behavior from one of them.
In an MSNBC interview Tuesday morning, White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked about a CNN report from earlier in the day that the dogs, Champ and Major, were back at the Bidens' family home after a "biting incident" between Major, the younger of the two dogs, and a member of White House security.
"I don't have any specifics. I don't have any updates for you, Mika, on the reports about an incident," Psaki told "Morning Joe" co-host Mika Brzezinski.
"But what I can tell you, as a dog lover - I know you are - is that Major and Champ are part of the Bidens' family. They're members of the family," she said. "They often go to Delaware when the first lady is traveling. And they're adjusting to their new home."
Psaki added: "I just know that they're beloved members of the family and, of course, of the White House family, too."
The roughly 13-year-old Champ, the elder of the two dogs, joined the family in 2008 shortly after Joe Biden was elected vice president. Biden selected the puppy from a breeder in Chester County, Pa., and the dog's name derives from an encouraging comment often offered by Biden's late father: "Get up, champ."
Biden adopted the 3-year-old Major from the Delaware Humane Association in 2018 after fostering him as a puppy. Major is the first shelter dog to occupy the White House, and he and Champ could often be seen playing on the executive mansion's lawn in recent weeks. They have also appeared alongside Biden in the Oval Office.