The incorporation of this new pet is part of the sessions to improve the behavior of the German Shepherd Major after having starred in several incidents of bites in March.
Known for their fondness for dogs, the Bidens now brought a cat to the White House.
“Yes, that’s true,” said first lady Jill Biden, commenting on the development of NBC’s Today show, in an interview broadcast on Friday.
The arrival of a long-rumored first feline to the White House poses yet another challenge for the boisterous German Shepherd Major of the presidential couple.
The young ex-rescue dog, a faithful companion of another German shepherd, Champ, who is much older, has been following sessions since April to improve his behavior after having starred in several incidents of bites.
President Joe Biden said the dog’s unpresidential behavior was due to the dog being surprised by the massive presence of Secret Service agents and others in the crowded White House compound.
Now even the eager Major will have to use his new abilities on the cat. It was part of his training. Jill Biden said they took her to a shelter with cats, and it was good for her.
Michael LaRosa, the spokesman for the first lady of the United States, said on April 12 that the training for the 3-year-old German shepherd would be carried out in an external place, not in the White House, although it would be in the Washington metropolitan area. The training is expected to last a few weeks, he added.
The Bidens also have another German Shepherd, 12-year-old Champ, in the White House. But it is the younger dog that has been the source of mishaps since the two moved into the White House in January.
In late March, the White House confirmed that Major had bitten someone during a walk. Shortly before that incident, the dog caused what the presidential residence said was a minor injury to a Secret Service employee on March 8.
Both dogs went back to the Biden home in Delaware for a while after the first incident. The White House noted that it was because the first lady would be traveling for a few days, but the president had said that Major was being trained.
During National Pet Day celebrated on Sunday, April 11, Jill Biden tweeted some pictures of the dogs and accompanied them with the phrase: “I love these two!”