Former President Barack Obama and his family are mourning the loss of Sunny, the spirited Portuguese Water Dog who spent more than a decade by their side and became one of the most recognizable presidential pets of the Obama White House.
Obama announced Sunny’s death on Wednesday, September 16, sharing a tribute filled with memories from her life with Barack and Michelle Obama and their daughters, Malia and Sasha. “Yesterday, we lost a cherished member of our family,” Obama wrote in the social media tribute.
According to the Associated Press, Sunny died Tuesday. She joined the Obama family in 2013, during Barack Obama’s second presidential term, and quickly became a companion not only to the family but also to their first Portuguese Water Dog, Bo.
Barack Obama Remembers Sunny as a “Force of Nature”
Sunny may have lived in the White House, but Obama’s tribute paints the picture of a dog far more interested in running, playing and getting attention than presidential protocol. “We got Sunny at the start of our second term in the White House, and all of us – including our first dog, Bo – immediately fell in love,” Obama wrote.
© Getty ImagesKeeping up with the energetic dog apparently became another matter. “We also had trouble keeping up with her, for Sunny was a force of nature,” the family recalled in the tribute.
Obama described Sunny as athletic and energetic, recalling how she would leap over hedges on the White House South Lawn while pursuing squirrels, birds and anything else that caught her attention.
© Getty ImagesHer personality was distinctly different from Bo’s. While Bo could be motivated by a treat, Sunny apparently preferred interaction. The Obamas remembered her wanting family members to run around with her, get down on the floor to play or keep the belly rubs coming.
Sunny Shared a Special Bond With Malia and Sasha Obama
Sunny also became closely attached to Malia and Sasha Obama, who grew up during their father’s eight years in the White House. “She loved the girls, even if they were pestering her when she was napping,” Obama wrote.
Sunny apparently extended that affection to the people working around the family, too. Obama remembered her following members of their team as they worked, seemingly determined to participate.
© AFP via Getty ImagesBut some of Sunny’s strongest instincts were reserved for Bo. Obama described her as “fiercely protective” of her canine companion, joking that Sunny seemed to understand that Bo was not always quite as attentive as she was.
Bo died in May 2021 after battling cancer. At the time, Barack and Michelle Obama shared emotional tributes to the dog who had been with their family since shortly after they entered the White House.
© Corbis/VCG via Getty ImagesSunny Obama Had Some Memorable Quirks
The family’s tribute did not leave out the personality traits that made Sunny unmistakably Sunny. According to Obama, she generally preferred people to other dogs, with Bo being the notable exception. She was also a particularly noisy and messy water drinker.
Perhaps her funniest contradiction was her relationship with water. Despite being a Portuguese Water Dog, Sunny “hated getting wet,” Obama revealed.
© Getty ImagesIt was not the first time the family had publicly joked about Sunny’s habits. During a 2015 White House question-and-answer session with children, Michelle Obama described Bo as the older, calmer dog while Sunny still behaved like an enthusiastic puppy demanding attention. Michelle said the two dogs had very different personalities but added, “I love them both. They add something different to the family.”
In another interview, Michelle explained just how close Bo and Sunny had become. When Malia tried to have Bo sleep in her room after Sunny joined the family, Bo left and went to sleep beside Sunny’s crate instead.
© Getty ImagesWhen Did Sunny Join the Obama Family?
Sunny arrived at the White House in August 2013, several years after Bo joined the family in 2009. Both were Portuguese Water Dogs, a breed the family selected in part because of allergy considerations. Sunny was born in Michigan in June 2012, according to information released when the Obamas introduced her.
She soon became part of White House life, appearing in photographs with the first family and accompanying Bo during the Obama presidency.
© Corbis via Getty ImagesThe two dogs became recognizable members of a long tradition of presidential pets. The American Kennel Club lists Bo and Sunny among the dogs associated with U.S. presidents and the White House.
Barack Obama’s Final Message to Sunny
Obama remembered Sunny as a loyal companion who remained energetic and affectionate throughout her life. “As far as our family was concerned, she was pretty much perfect,” he wrote, describing Sunny as loyal, sweet and always ready for another adventure. “We will miss her terribly, and imagine she’s with her big brother now, making sure he’s okay,” Obama wrote.
With Sunny’s death, the Obamas have now said goodbye to both dogs who became fixtures of their family’s White House years.
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