It’s not often that you see a sitting president concern himself with the tragic death of a civilian’s dog, but that’s exactly what happened when United States President Joe Biden learned of the death of Kirk Herbstreit’s beloved dog, Ben.
ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit began integrating his golden retriever Ben into his college football coverage last year, bringing him to games he was calling and as well as the set of the College GameDay pregame show.
However, Ben passed away a few weeks ago, leading to heartbreak in the college football community.
While Herbstreit received condolences from a lot of people, he likely did not expect to hear from the President of the United States. But that’s exactly what happened.
On Wednesday afternoon, Herbstreit revealed that he received a personal letter from Biden expressing condolences for the loss of Ben.
“Politics aside-REALLY honored to receive this personal note from [Joe Biden] sharing his appreciation and compassion for the loss of our beloved Ben. I can only hope that Ben knows how many people he touched,” Herbstreit said in a post on X sharing a photo of the signed message that Biden sent to him.
In the letter, Biden expressed his sorrow for Ben’s death and some kind words for Herbstreit.
“I was so sorry to hear about the loss of your beloved Ben,” Biden said in his letter.
“Ben brought so much comfort and unconditional love to millions of Americans across our nation,” the letter continued. “In your most joyful moments and your most grief-stricken days, he was there, sensitive to every unspoken feeling and emotion.”
“I know what it is like to lose a beloved pet, and I hope you can find some comfort in cherishing the beautiful memories you shared with Ben. He was a good boy,” the message concluded.
It’s undeniably shocking that Biden was so in tune with college football to send such a kind message, but it’s clear that it was greatly appreciated.
