Joe Biden Welcomes A New Member To His Family — A German Shepherd Named Major From A Shelter In Delaware

Former Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, are the proud new parents of a German shepherd named Major.

The Bidens adopted Major on Saturday, according to reporting from People. The couple had previously been fostering the dog, and made him an official part of their family over the weekend.

Major had been part of the Delaware Humane Association, who were thrilled with the decision by the Bidens to take him to their home.

“Today is Major’s lucky day!” the organization wrote on their Facebook page. “Not only did Major find his forever home, but he got adopted by Vice President Joe Biden & Dr. Jill Biden!”

His adoption was very much appreciated by the Humane Association. Major “is from the litter of German shepherd pups that were surrendered and not doing well at all” before the Bidens took an interest in him.

For their part, the Bidens expressed immense gratitude to the Humane Association for helping them find their new addition.

“We are so happy to welcome Major to the Biden family, and we are grateful to the Delaware Humane Association for their work in finding forever homes for Major and countless other animals,” the couple said in a statement.

Former Vice President Joe Biden adopts a rescue dog named Majorhttps://t.co/1KPJ4b07UT

— TIME (@TIME) November 17, 2018

Major will already have an older “brother” to look up to when he moves into Joe and Jill Biden’s home. Besides Major, the Bidens have another German shepherd named Champ, who the family adopted in 2008, shortly before Joe Biden became vice president. He lived with the family for the entire duration that Biden was in office, taking residence at the U.S. Naval Observatory, the official home of the vice president, from day one.

The need for adoption for shelter animals is still great. Each year, about 6.5 million companion animals, mostly dogs and cats, enter shelters across the U.S., according to statistics compiled by the ASPCA. Unfortunately, only 3.2 million find a “forever home” and leave those shelters.

If you’re interested in fostering a pet like the Bidens did, there are many great resources out there to consider helping you find the perfect companion. But you need to be sure you’re ready to adopt before actually doing so, to ensure that you don’t make a commitment you’re not able to follow-through on, which could be detrimental to the animal’s livelihood.

A questionnaire from PetFinder.com provides 20 questions to ask (about the pet as well as about yourself) before you make the dive into adopting a new feline or canine family member.