Former President Barack Obama shared that the family’s beloved Portuguese Water Dog, Sunny, died on Tuesday.
“Yesterday, we lost a cherished member of our family,” Obama wrote on X on Wednesday.
“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. 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.”
“She loved our team, and would often follow them around, helping them on the job. She was fiercely protective of Bo, who she rightly sensed wasn’t always as alert and attentive as she was.”
Sunny and Bo, the Obama family’s other Portuguese Water Dog that died in 2021, became White House icons during Obama’s administration. Their black, curly coats stuck out against the impeccably kept White House lawn.
Bo even became part of a heavily circulated selfie taken by former first lady Michelle Obama.
Sunny also stepped into the spotlight for less-than-glamorous reasons in 2017 when she bit an 18-year-old White House visitor, who tried to kiss her and ended up needing stitches.
Nonetheless, both dogs were picture-perfect and ready to step into the spotlight during their human’s presidency.
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“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,” Obama said.
“We will miss her terribly, and imagine she’s with her big brother now, making sure he’s okay.”