For the first time in US history, one of the “First Dogs” is a shelter animal. The Biden family’s dog is a German shepherd named Major, who was adopted from the Deleware Humane association two years ago. He joined their other German shepherd, whom they purchased from a breeder.

Many people disagreed with the purchase of Champ, and the simple decision of getting a dog for the family sparked a lot of backlash. The Biden family decided when they added their next dog, it would be a shelter pet.

They met Major through fostering him. They fell in love with his personality, and couldn’t let him leave. Major’s adoption has given the movement to adopt instead of shop a boost, though adoption interest was already growing due to the pandemic.

First shelter pet, but not the first rescue

While Major marks the first shelter pet in history to grace the White House, he is not the first rescue. This pleasure goes to Yuki, a mutt who was found abandoned at a gas station by the previous owner, and who was taken in by President Johnson’s daughter.

When Present Johnson went home with his family to their ranch, Yuki got to ride in style on Air Force One.

Another rescue animal that once lived in the white house was Socks, Bill Clinton’s cat. He was simply a stray they took in, and was the only White House animal for the first few years in Clinton’s presidential term.

Adoptions are becoming much more common place, and we hope to see this trend continue. Shelter pets have a lot of benefits to offer, such as already being potty trained, and already knowing the personality of the pet.

Although adoption isn’t right for everyone, Major proves that checking out shelters can be a great way to find a dog.