Welcome Major Biden to the White House at the First-Ever Virtual ‘Indoguration’

On Wednesday, January 20, the White House will be home to two new pooch residents, Champ and Major Biden, as President-elect Joe Biden begins his time in office. In honor of Major being the first shelter dog to post up in the most famous U.S. household, the organization that rescued him is hosting the first-ever virtual “indoguration” party.

In 2018, the Bidens adopted Major, a German shepherd from the Delaware Humane Association, an organization based in Wilmington, Delaware, near the family’s primary residence. Patrick Carroll, executive director of the Delaware Humane Association, told NPR that a litter of six German shepherd puppies arrived at the shelter very sick after having gotten into “some toxic substance.”

The staff worked to nurse them back to health, and began searching for foster families. The future president’s daughter, Ashley Biden, knew he was on the hunt for a companion for their aging shepherd, Champ, so she sent him the organization’s social media post.

Biden himself dropped in on Easter Sunday to meet the puppies, bringing Major home as a foster. Then, in November, they officially welcomed him as part of their “fur-ever” family—and the rest, as they say, is presidential “pawstory.”

To celebrate Major’s exciting new digs, the Humane Association is teaming up with Pumpkin Pet Insurance to host “world’s largest virtual party for dogs,” a Zoom celebration for pets and pet parents alike. The indoguration party will be live at 3 p.m. EST on Sunday, January 17, with the organization requesting a donation of $10 or more to secure a spot.

No word on whether the soon-to-be presidential pooches (or Major’s siblings, who have all since been adopted into their own forever homes) will be joining, but it seems Major and Champ won’t be going to the White House alone. Last November, the Bidens told CBS Sunday Morning that they’re adding a cat to their brood, which means the White House is soon to be a very full house.