Former President Barack Obama said Wednesday that his family’s dog, Sunny, has died.
The 13-year-old female Portuguese Water Dog joined the Obama family in August 2013 at the start of Mr. Obama’s second term in the White House.
“Yesterday, we lost a cherished member of our family,” Mr. Obama said in a social media post.
He detailed her idiosyncrasies, saying, “We also had trouble keeping up with her, for Sunny was a force of nature.”
“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,” he said.
She participated in numerous White House traditions, public events and visits with military families and children.
“She loved the girls, even if they were pestering her when she was napping,” Mr. Obama said, referring to his and Michelle Obama’s two daughters, Malia and Sasha. “She loved our team, and would often follow them around, helping them on the job.”
After leaving Washington in January 2017, Sunny retired with the family.
She came into the family as a companion for their first dog, Bo.
“She was fiercely protective of Bo, who she rightly sensed wasn’t always as alert and attentive as she was,” Mr. Obama said. “She had her eccentricities: other than Bo, she preferred people to dogs.”
“But as far as our family was concerned, she was pretty much perfect, and for thirteen years, she would be by our side — always loyal, always sweet, always ready for adventure, still fiery and gorgeous till the very end of her days,” he said. “We will miss her terribly, and imagine she’s with her big brother now, making sure he’s okay.”
Bo died in 2021 after a battle with cancer.
Most U.S. presidents have kept pets at the White House for work, companionship or family life, with dogs being the most common.
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