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Jill and Joe Biden Announced Their Dog Champ Has Died in a Heartbreaking Statement

Jill and Joe Biden just shared that they suffered a devastating family loss on social media. On Saturday morning, the president and first lady announced that their dog Champ has passed away "peacefully" at the White House. He was 13 years old.

"RIP to our sweet, good boy, Champ. We will miss you always," Jill tweeted alongside an official statement about their recent heartbreak.

In the couple's joint message, they wrote: "Our hearts are heavy as we let you all know that our beloved German Shepherd, Champ, passed away peacefully at home. He was our constant, cherished companion during the last 13 years and was adored by the entire Biden family. Even as Champ's strength waned in his last months, when we came into a room, he would immediately pull himself up, his tail always wagging, and nuzzle us for an ear scratch or a belly rub."

They went on to reflect on happier memories, adding: "Wherever we were, he wanted to be, and everything was instantly better when he was next to us. He loved nothing more than curling up at our feet in front of a fire at the end of the day, joining us as a comforting presence in meetings, or sunning himself in the White House garden. In his younger days, he was happiest chasing golf balls on the front lawn of the Naval Observatory or racing to catch our grandchildren as they ran around our backyard in Delaware."

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"In our most joyful moments and in our most grief-stricken days, he was there with us, sensitive to our every unspoken feeling and emotion," the Bidens said, before concluding, "We love our sweet, good boy and will miss him always."

Joe shared the same statement on his Twitter account, and captioned the post: "Our family lost our loving companion Champ today. I will miss him."

The Bidens first welcomed Champ to the family after Joe was elected as Vice President in 2008 - a promise he kept to Jill. The then three-month-old pup was named by Joe's granddaughters in reference to one of his speeches, in which he quoted his father who always told him, "Any time you get knocked down, champ, get up!"

Champ returned to Washington, D.C. once again this year alongside his younger brother, Major.