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'Indoguration Day' nears for Major Biden

Major, the first shelter dog to make it to White House, is getting honored on Sunday
Joe Biden and his newly adopted German shepherd, Major, at the Delaware Humane Association in Wilmington in 2018.
Joe Biden and his newly adopted German shepherd, Major, at the Delaware Humane Association in Wilmington in 2018.Stephanie Carter / Delaware Humane Association via AP file

Before his human gets inaugurated, Major Biden is getting "indogurated."

The soon-to-be first pet is being honored with a virtual "indoguration" celebration on Jan. 17, courtesy of the Delaware Humane Association — the shelter President-elect Joe Biden got him from.

The German shepherd will be the White House's first shelter dog.

Before Biden adopted him in 2018, Major had been one of six puppies who were taken to the shelter "after coming in contact with something toxic in their home," the organization said at the time.

"Joe Biden caught wind of them and reached out immediately. The rest is history!"

Joe Biden and his newly-adopted German shepherd, Major, at the Delaware Humane Association in Wilmington in 2018.
Joe Biden and his newly-adopted German shepherd, Major, at the Delaware Humane Association in Wilmington in 2018.Stephanie Carter / Delaware Humane Association via AP file

The DHA is advertising the Sunday event as "the world's largest virtual party for dogs," and is using it to raise funds for the shelter. It's being hosted by the "TODAY" show's Jill Martin and will feature an appearance by Sir Darius Brown, a teenage entrepreneur who founded a bow-tie company called Beaux and Paws to help shelter dogs get adopted.

The DHA, which is co-hosting the event with Pumpkin Pet Insurance, said in a statement that Major is "barking proof that every dog can live the American dream."

Along with Biden's other dog, Champ, Major's move into 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. will mark the return of pets to the White House for the first time in four years. Donald Trump was the first president without a pet in the White House since Andrew Johnson in the 1860s, according to the Presidential Pet Museum.

The vice president's residence at the Naval Observatory, meanwhile, will be losing a large pet presence. Vice President Mike Pence and his family had a cat named Hazel, a dog named Harley, a snake named Sapphira and bunny named Marlon Bundo.

While Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is a fan of dogs, she does not have one.