Former U.S. president Barack Obama has announced the loss of a “cherished member” of the family, Sunny, their Portuguese Water Dog. She died Tuesday at the age of 13.
“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 posted on social media Wednesday.
Sunny moved into the White House in August, 2013, joining Bo, who became the official First Dog in 2009 and was welcomed to help daughters Malia and Sasha settle in. Bo died in 2021.
“She loved the girls, even if they were pestering her when she was napping,” Obama wrote of Sunny.
But Sunny wasn’t a true nap or lap dog.
“We also had trouble keeping up with her, for Sunny was a force of nature,” Obama wrote. “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.”
Together Sunny and Bo met world leaders, dignitaries and even The Pope.
The dogs were very different.
“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 former president posted.
Sunny loved the staff so much, she would follow them around, “helping” them on the job, he explained.
“She was fiercely protective of Bo, who she rightly sensed wasn’t always as alert and attentive as she was. 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,” Obama added.
But like every dog owner, to the Obamas, Sunny was the best.
And, as every dog owner knows, crossing the rainbow bridge is never easy
“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 wrote. “We will miss her terribly, and imagine she’s with her big brother now, making sure he’s okay.”
