The Biden family announced sad news

“In our happiest moments and in our saddest days, he was with us …,” the Biden family said in a statement.

US President Joe Biden and his wife, US First Lady Jill Biden, announced today the death of the older of their two dogs, Reuters reported.

German Shepherd Champ “has been our constant and beloved companion” for 13 years, the Biden family said.

“In our happiest moments and in our saddest days, he was with us, he understood our every unexpressed feeling and emotion. We love our sweet and good boy and we will always miss him,” the Biden family said in a statement.

Champ was one of two German shepherds the president and first lady brought with them to the White House.

The other German Shepherd, named Major, who was adopted by the Biden family in November 2018, became the first rescue dog to inhabit the White House, Reuters notes.

The arrival of Champ and Major marks the return of pets to the White House after former US President Donald Trump became the first president in US history since the 1960s not to bring a dog or cat into the White House.