US Election: From Joe Biden’s dogs to Bill Clinton’s cat, meet the White House pets

US President-elect Joe Biden is big news, but this week so are his German shepherds, Champ and Major. The pooches made an official debut on Twitter this week with their first post saying: “Hello America! Hello world! It’s us, Champ and Major. We are the Bidens’ family puppers and First Dogs Elect(s) of USA. We want to thank you all for your suppawrt by sharing our pawsidential adventures here! Woof! Woof!”

Major will also make history as the rescue dog ever in the Oval Office. It’s a steep change from the current administration; Donald Trump is the first President in more than a hundred years without a pet or two. But enough about him. Here’s look at some other furry friends who’ve roamed the White House lawns over the years.

Portuguese Water Dogs Bo and Sunny came to live in the White House along with the Obamas. It was a promise he had made to his daughters, Sasha and Malia, a four-legged friend at the end of his campaign trail. In his Grant Park victory speech, then President-Elect Obama said to his girls, “I love you both more than you can imagine. You have earned the puppy that is coming with us!”

The Clintons played family to a chocolate Labrador called Buddy and a cat named Socks. The animals fought and loved each other and left a deep impact on the entire First Family. Hillary Clinton for instance even wrote a book about them, called ‘Dear Socks, Dear Buddy’. Now if that’s not love, what is?

Jimmy Carter’s daughter, Amy, was given a puppy born on same day that Jimmy was elected President. The Carters already had a Siamese cat named Misty Malarky Ying Yang. Perhaps it was their animosity, Grits – the pup – was returned to its original owner in 1979, two years later.

President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan were clearly animal lovers; they had a large variety of pets swinging through the White House including dogs, cats, cows and goldfish. When First Lady Nancy Reagan was away, the president often wrote in his diary: "Rex and I are lonesome, Rex and I are roommates again, and Upstairs and waiting for Nancy's return and here she is. Me and the dog are very happy."

Miss Beazley and Barney were Scottish Terriers who lived with the George W Bush family. They were also budding rock stars, featuring in videos such as ‘A Very Beazley Christmas’ and ‘Barney Cam’.

if there ever was a dog who knew national secrets it was Fala, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's black Scottie who often went with him to secret meetings and war conferences. Fala was also a famous dog – the fur friend was the subject of two movies.

Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev presented Jackie Kennedy – arguably the most famous of FLOTUSses - a dog named Pushinka, which means "fluffy" in Russian. She came from a famous lineage; she was the daughter of the first Russian dog in space. Pushinka and Charlie, the Kennedys’ Welsh terrier, had babies.

John F Kennedy's daughter Caroline had an unusual pet who would also go on to become famous. Macaroni was a pony who lived in stables in Virginia but would often come to the White House for a visit. Macaroni drew legions of fans and went on to appear on the cover of Life magazine.