Barack Obama Announces the Death of His Family Dog Sunny

Sunny, the high-energy Portuguese water dog who rollicked through the White House during President Barack Obama’s second term in office, died this week, the Obama family announced on social media.

Sunny was 13 and remained “always loyal, always sweet, always ready for adventure, still fiery and gorgeous till the very end of her days,” Barack and Michelle Obama wrote Wednesday on social media.

Sunny entered the scene in August 2013 as the Obama family’s second presidential pet. She and her furry sibling Bo, who died of cancer in 2021, were both Portuguese water dogs, a hypoallergenic breed to accommodate Malia Obama’s allergies.

Sunny garnered a reputation as a mischievous pooch who, along with Bo, remained in high demand for visitor meet-and-greets. Michelle Obama acknowledged in 2015 that Sunny could, at times, be naughty and sneak off to defecate within the corridors of power. Sunny also reportedly bit an Obama family friend in face in 2017, a wound that required stitches by White House medical staff.

“Athletic and full of boundless energy, she leapt over the hedges on the South Lawn like they weren’t even there, chasing squirrels, birds and anything else that moved,” Barack and Michelle Obama said Wednesday. “And whereas the way to Bo’s heart usually involved a treat, Sunny was more interested in having us run around with her, roll on the floor with her, or have her belly rubbed for as long as we were willing.”

The Obamas said Sunny loved their daughters, who famously begged the former president for a dog during his first presidential campaign in 2008.

“She had her eccentricities: other than Bo, she preferred people to dogs; she was a loud and sloppy drinker; and despite being a Portuguese Water Dog, she hated getting wet,” the announcement read. “We will miss her terribly, and imagine she’s with her big brother now, making sure he’s okay.”