Steve Patterson: The Adventures of Major Biden, the President’s Roguish Dog

 

 

 

 

 “If you want to have a friend in Washington, get a dog.”
–Harry S. Truman 

“I have the right to remain silent, but not the ability.”
–Steven A. Patterson 

 

 

Remember the old Laurel and Hardy comedic skits with the iconic catch phrase often uttered by Ollie Hardy, “Well, here’s another fine mess you’ve gotten us into!”?

Well, speaking of fine messes, what is one to do when the President of the United States, a friend you’ve known for over 50 years, asks for a special favor? And the special favor is accepting a gift from him that is one of his most precious and valuable possessions? This becomes another fine mess when the acceptance of the gift is predicated on not telling anyone where you got this extraordinary gift. Yep, that’s when it becomes a beautiful, chaotic mess, filled with unimagined adventure.

I promised not to tell anyone, and I’ve for the most part kept that vow. I believe enough time has now passed, and Joe Biden is no longer President, so what the heck – I’ll tell, as Paul Harvey used to say, “the rest of the story.”

Here goes –
In December 2021, President Joe Biden, entrusted me with his much-loved and cherished, “Major,” a German Shepard that had been his constant companion for three years, and had moved into the White House on the same day as the President. Joe Biden well knew of my fondness for animals and my intrinsic love of bird dogs. He also knew Major needed peace and serenity, and I had an ample supply of both.

Yep, I can now let it be known that I am the “undisclosed family friend” who took Major out of the spotlight of the stressful White House and into the bright, relaxing sunshine of rural Mississippi.

Major Biden is a beautiful, black and pale tan German Shepard and the first rescue dog to ever have residence in the White House. He was a rescue from the Delaware Humane Society, had been exposed to “something toxic” as a puppy, and his owners could not afford veterinary care. The Biden family adopted him in 2018, and Joe Biden, the future President of the United States, immediately fell in love with him and made him his constant companion.

On November 28. 2020, just a few days after he was elected, the president-elect was playing with Major in their Delaware home, slipped and fell on a throw rug, and fractured his foot. I well remember advising my friend to adhere to the doctor’s advice and wear the orthopedic boot prescribed for him. Of course, due to his vanity and macho vision of himself, he refused not only my recommendation, but also his family’s and the doc’s. I believe it was that stubbornness that led to his slow and obviously strained walking gait we all witnessed throughout his Presidency.

Three days before his Presidential inauguration, the Delaware Humane Society held an “Indoguration” for Major. More than 7,400 people attended the event via Zoom. It featured a stirring performance by Josh Groban and raised around $200,000 dollars for the shelter.

The origin of Major’s name has never been publicly revealed. So, while I’m at it, I may as well tell. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt also had a German Shepard named Major, and many have erroneously speculated that’s where the Bidens got the name. The truth of the matter is that Major was named in memory of Joe Biden’s deceased son Beau, who was a Major in the Delaware National Guard. Beau was a truly outstanding human being. One of the best young men I’ve ever known. He was also the Attorney General of Delaware and a bright light in national politics. In my view, had Beau lived, he himself would have one day likely been a serious candidate for the Presidency. The roguish German Shepard Major Biden was named after the outstanding young man Major Beau Biden.

Major did not easily adapt to the stress of life in the White House. On several occasions he showed aggressive tendencies, once biting a security guard and another time snapping at a National Park Service employee. The press described his unruly behavior as “agitated temperament” and alleged he was often seen “jumping, barking, and charging” staff and guests in the Oval Office. Nonetheless, a good number of staff have relayed to me their fondness for Major. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was apparently very devoted to Major, and I’m told had a special bond with him. However, it finally became disappointingly obvious to the President that Major would never adapt to the high-pressure chaos of life in the White House. So that’s when they turned to me for the solution. I, of course, dutifully accepted the challenge and relocated Major to my hideaway hunting lodge in the tall timbers of Panola County Mississippi.

So, how did I become such a friend to President Joe Biden and the Biden family that I was picked to adopt Major? I first met Joe Biden in 1973, soon after he was sworn in as a United States Senator. I was a very junior staff member for Senator John C. Stennis at that time. Joe and I immediately took a liking to one another and became not only friends, but also close buddies. He used to often joke that we came to the Senate together, leaving out the part about me being a junior staffer and him being a Senator. I have stayed in the Biden families’ homes many times, and they have stayed with me on several occasions. I’ve been honored to be their guest at family affairs where I was the only person present who did not have Biden as a last name. I was the first state Democratic Party chair to endorse his candidacy for the Presidency in 1988 and served as his southern campaign coordinator. I have raised money for each of his races and traveled all over the country with him, speaking on his behalf. In short, we have shared life’s ups and downs for over 50 years.

Sadly, the Presidency has a way of separating folks, of changing the dynamics between old friends. It imposes an unfair burden on the one who holds that office, so taxing that friendships get overridden with thoughts of terms like “legacy.” I’ve witnessed this phenomenon in business. I’ve even seen it in church congregations, and I’ve especially seen it in politics. But nowhere is it so pervasive as in the Presidency of the United States. The very nature of the job requires both family and friendships to become secondary. It often leaves no room for old friends, because friends associated with the political role take up all the air.

Over the last few years, I’ve become impatient with convenient friendships. I have reached a point in my life where I intend to spend my time enjoying my remaining years attending to my own family’s needs and enjoying my close friends, rather than jumping to take care of detached political friends’ latest crises. Particularly, if that’s the only time I hear from them. As an old friend from Tippah County once told me, “They would unplug you from life support to charge their cell phone if it helped them in any way.” Yes, it happens.

On the homefront, I’m pleased to report that Major has adapted just fine and is a happy dog who is a pleasure to be around. He loves playing with the other dogs and is amazed by the horses, following them all day. He still has some quirky phobias like being frightened of storms and he can’t stand fire of any kind. In the winter when we build a fire in the fireplace, he quickly retreats to the bathroom, nervously hiding securely in the shower.

My brother-in-law Jimmy Ezell takes very good care of Major during my frequent long absences. My first-born son, oddly enough also named Beau, loves to play with Major, and they spend hours playing catch with tennis balls. Major adores both my brother-in-law Jimmy and my son Beau, and he gets happily excited when he sees either of them.

On the day my younger son John Calvin and I rescued Major from his stressful former residence, the White House, we had car trouble on our way back home. We broke down somewhere in rural Alabama. My son turned to me and said, “Well, this is another fine mess you got us into. Here we are broke down, who-knows-where, no cell service, with ‘Cujo’ growling at us from the back seat!”

It was indeed a rocky start to this adventure, but like most things in life it finally worked out. Major is happy and so are we.

I took President Truman’s advice. I have a dog for a friend!