The White House bid a heartfelt goodbye on Saturday to the nation’s First Dog and very good boy, Champ the German Shepherd. Adopted by the Bidens as a puppy in 2008—Joe Biden reportedly promised Jill that he’d get the family a dog if Barack Obama won the election—Champ was a beloved fixture of the Naval Observatory during Joe Biden’s two terms as vice president. The then-veep even gave out small plush replicas of Champ to visiting kids. The pup, an avid chaser of golf balls, had a name that echoed Biden’s father’s advice to ‘Get up, champ,’ whenever his son was feeling down and out.

“Our family lost our loving companion Champ today. I will miss him,” President Biden tweeted, along with a family statement that noted, ““He was our constant, cherished companion during the last 13 years and as adored by the entire Biden family …we love our sweet, good boy and will miss him always.”