moving firmly in a conservative direction. sara monetta, abc news. —— bbc news. us presidents are well known for their canine companions who are seen bounding across the white house lawn. the 0bamas had bo the portuguese water dog — the bushes a scottish terrier called barney. donald trump wasn't keen. now the bidens are mourning the death of one of two family dogs — a german shepherd called champ, whojill biden said was a �*constant, cherished companion�*. i've been speaking to andrew hager, the historian—in—residence at the presidential pet museum in virginia. the bidens have been very upfront about how much they love their dogs and they've really kind of made the dogs a mascot, unofficially, of their administration, so this is really a sad day for everyone.