Former Vice President, Joe Biden, and his wife Dr. Jill Biden, adopted a 10-month-old German Shepherd from the Delaware Humane Association (DHA) on Saturday, after fostering him for several months. The pup’s name is Major. DHA posted about the lucky dog on their Facebook page as the Bidens took him to his new “forever home.” “Today is Major’s lucky day! Not only did Major find his forever home, but he got adopted by Vice President Joe Biden & Dr. Jill Biden!” the post said. “The Bidens have gotten to know Major while fostering him and are now ready to make the adoption official. Best of luck and thank you for being one of our Friends for life!” According to DHA, Major is from a litter of German Shepherd pups that were given up for adoption and are currently “not doing well at all.” “Once we posted about them… Joe Biden caught wind of them and reached out immediately. The rest is history!” DHA said. The Bidens are proud owners of another German Shepherd named Champ. In a statement, the Bidens thanked the shelter for their help finding dogs permanent homes. “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 statement read.
Indianapolis, IN - Second lady Karen Pence paid tribute to the cat Saturday on Twitter, saying Oreo "touched a lot of hearts in your little life." Oreo along with the family's other cat, Pickle, and rabbit, Marlon Bundo became famous in January, when the family moved to Washington, D.C. Oreo made his national debut in a photo of the U.S. Air Force flight, which Vice President Mike Pence tweeted. Since then, Marlon Bundo, better known as BOTUS (Bunny of the United States), has remained in the spotlight with an Instagram page. The black-and-white rabbit even has made White House appearances, recently stealing the show at an event for Military Appreciation Month. At the time, Karen Pence said he was "kind of famous," as the first bunny to ride on Air Force Two. CNN reported Oreo was 13 years old, according to an aide to the vice president.
Vice President, Mike Pence owns an adorable black-and-white rabbit named Marlon Bundo. Bundo, along with his cat half-siblings, Oreo and Pickle, now are residents of Washington, D.C. Oreo and Pickle were carried off the U.S. Air Force passenger jet in the arms of then Vice President-Elect Mike Pence's wife, Karen, and daughter, Charlotte, but it took two men to transport Marlon Bundo's cage down the plane stairs to a waiting SUV. Pence tweeted a photo of the family with the pets mid-air, thanking the U.S. Air Force for the ride. Bundo's eyes seemed wide with excitement about his future home. The bunny isn't the first elected pet with a unique name: Jimmy Carter's daughter Amy had a Siamese cat named Misty Malarky Ying Yang. Herbert Hoover had a dog named Weejie. Benjamin Harrison had two opposums: Mr. Reciprocity and Mr. Protection. No word on whether Bundo has a plot to get fancier carrots in his food dish once he's in D.C., but it seems likely he made the Pence family an offer they couldn't refuse.
The 2016 election has become one of the most heated and divisive primaries in American history.
But no matter which party you align with, all animal-loving voters should be aware of the stances their candidates take in regards to animal rights and humane policies that protect pets.
So how do the presidential and vice presidential candidates stack up when it comes to historical pet-friendliness and all-around animal activism? Here are some of the major things to know:
Hillary Rodham Clinton:
The Democratic presidential nominee has an entire page on her website about how she plans to "promote animal welfare and protect animals from cruelty and abuse."
One of the bullet points of Clinton's promises says that, as President, she would "Protect pets and domesticated animals by making sure facilities like animal breeders, zoos, and research institutions create plans to protect the animals in their care during disasters; strengthen regulations of 'puppy mills' and other harmful commercial breeding facilities; and support the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act." During her time in the Senate, Clinton co-sponsored the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act of 2007, as well as a bill to amend the Horse Protection Act.
Clinton, a pet parent to three dogs (Seamus, Maisie, and Tally), has previously recieved a perfect score from the Humane Society's Legislative Fund. In a press release in 2007 for the HSLF, Clinton said, "Our policies should reflect the important role that animals play in our lives and our environment. I believe we should treat animals humanely and that is why I support anti-cruelty laws."
