A post shared by Delaware Humane Association (@delawarehumane)
The virtual event will take place Sunday afternoon
The Zoom event will feature NBC "Today" show's Jill Martin and other "notable rescue dogs and their parents," Cory Topel, the shelter's marketing manager, told Insider in an email. Topel did not say whether Joe Biden and Major will be in participating in the event, however.
Advertisement
Virtual attendees can expect 30 to 45 minutes of furry friends and animal philanthropists speaking. The goal is to raise money for shelter dogs just like Major.
To join, virtual attendees can donate $10 or more to get a link to the ceremony, which starts at 3 p.m. on Sunday. Proceeds will go to the animal shelter.
Over 5,000 people from all over the world have already registered for the event, Topel said.
"We are elated," Topel told Insider in an email. "With Major heading to the White House, we hope it will shine light on the importance of animal adoption, as well as supporting your own local animal shelter."
Major was welcomed into the Biden household in 2018
In 2018, Joe Biden's daughter, Ashley Biden, saw a social media post from the Delaware Humane Society about a litter of German shepherds that needed temporary housing, according to The Washington Post.
Advertisement
The six puppies were in need of care "after being exposed to something toxic" in their previous home.
A post shared by Joe Biden (@joebiden)
The Bidens temporarily fostered one puppy, and eight months later, Major became a permanent member of the household.
The family's other German shepherd, Champ, will join Major in the White House.
The White House has a long history of pets
Dogs are the most common pet to find a home at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
But for the last four years, the house has sat pet-less, as President Donald Trump is the first president in more than 100 years to not have pets.
Advertisement
When Biden won the election, Major made headlines as the first presidential shelter dog. But there have been other notable rescue dogs owned by presidents. Former President Abraham Lincoln and former President Lyndon B. Johnson both had rescue pups.
Johnson's dog, Yuki, a terrier mix, had a close bond with the former president, so much so that Johnson would bring the dog to cabinet meetings, according to the Presidential Pet Museum.
Lincoln has a rescue dog named Frido, but the animal never lived in the White House.
Other presidents welcomed more exotic animals into 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
At one point while living in the White House, former President John Quincy Adams kept an alligator in a bathtub, and former President Martin van Buren fought to keep his two tiger cubs at the residence.
Advertisement
Alligators and tigers won't be joining the Bidens, but dog lovers will be happy to see two furry friends finding their home at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
NewsletterSIMPLY PUT - where we join the dots to inform and inspire you. Sign up for a weekly brief collating many news items into one untangled thought delivered straight to your mailbox.