US President Joe Biden and his wife Jill and their new dog, Commander, have wished soldiers abroad a Merry Christmas.
The German Shepherd Commander was sitting with the Bidens on the couch in the White House building complex on Saturday when these greetings were addressed to the military who were connected via video.
"That's Commander," said Biden.
"He's 16 weeks old." Jill Biden patted the animal that snuggled up to the US president.
The White House introduced the new dog on Twitter earlier this week. Commander was a gift from Joe Biden's brother, said spokeswoman Jen Psaki. He is very lovable and will give the President, his family "and probably all of us a lot of joy". In the days that followed, Commander could be seen frolicking in the White House garden.
After taking office, Biden had brought his two German Shepherds, Major and Champ, to the White House. Champ died in the summer. Major hit the headlines because of incidents involving White House staff - including biting a member of Biden's security team. The dog now lives mainly in the family home in Wilmington. First Lady Jill Biden announced in the spring that a cat would soon be moving into the White House. "We can assume that we will meet the cat (...) in January," said Psaki.
Biden thanked the military for their commitment.
They are "the solid steel backbone of the nation".
"We are grateful for your courage, your sacrifice," he said.
Being separated from family on the holidays is especially tough.
"We're going to send this guy over here," joked Biden, looking at Commander, who didn't want to sit still on the couch.