Former President Joe Biden and his wife Jill have welcomed two new puppies from a Tennessee shelter to replace their aggressive dog, which they had to rehome after it attacked several White House staff members.
A shelter called Rescue Dogs, located in Mountain City, Tennessee, shared on social media that the Biden family adopted two black Labrador mixes. The post featured a picture of the couple with their new pets, along with their cat named Willow.
“These two puppies from Johnson County were adopted together by the Biden family yesterday,” the announcement stated.
One of the puppies, described as lively, apparently had trouble sitting still for photos, according to the rescue group.
“We are very excited about these two puppies that were once abandoned in the mountains,” noted Rescue Dogs.
According to the organization, Jill Biden and possibly her son—in-law, Hunter Biden—first interacted with the puppies after visiting one of Rescue Dogs’ conservation partners in Delaware.
Melissa Gentry, who runs Rescue Dogs, shared her surprise with Mountain City Newspaper, recalling the moment she learned the Bidens adopted the puppies. She described receiving a call that caught her off guard, saying, “Are you sitting? I said, ‘No, but what did I do?’ They said, ‘You’re not going to believe who adopted your two puppies.’” Gentry initially thought it was a joke.
Previously, Joe Biden owned two German shepherds, which had multiple biting incidents while residing at the White House. One dog was removed in February 2023 after it attacked various Secret Service agents and other staff members. Some incidents were severe enough that victims required hospitalization.
The predecessor to these dogs, Major, was also rehomed in 2021 due to similar issues.
Biden’s office has yet to respond to requests for comments regarding the new adoptions.
