Obamas’ Dog Sunny Dies at 13: ‘A Cherished Member of Our Family’
WASHINGTON — Former President Barack Obama announced Wednesday that the family’s dog Sunny, a 13-year-old Portuguese water dog, has died. Obama called her a “cherished member of our family” and said the household will miss her terribly.
In a social media post, Obama wrote, “We will miss her terribly.” The message was reshared by his wife, former first lady Michelle Obama, and had been viewed more than 2 million times on X within three hours. The family also shared a Facebook post with several photos, including one with the pope, that drew hundreds of thousands of reactions.
The Obamas adopted Sunny as a puppy during Obama’s second term in 2013. Obama wrote that the entire household, including their first dog, Bo, “immediately fell in love” with her. For the next 13 years, he said, “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 also contrasted the two dogs’ personalities. Bo could usually be won over with a treat, he wrote, while 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.”
Both dogs became familiar White House figures, often seen running across the lawn. In his tribute, Obama described Sunny as “athletic and full of boundless energy.” He also noted her quirks, including an ironic hatred of getting wet. “As far as our family was concerned, she was pretty much perfect,” he wrote.
Obama said his daughters, Sasha and Malia, who were 12 and 14 when Sunny joined the family, were close with her. “She loved the girls, even if they were pestering her when she was napping,” he wrote. Sunny was also a favorite among White House staff, he added: “She loved our team, and would often follow them around, helping them on the job.”
Sunny’s death comes more than five years after the Obamas lost Bo, who died of cancer in 2021 at age 12. The Obamas adopted Bo in 2009, fulfilling a campaign promise to Malia and Sasha. Bo arrived shortly after Barack Obama’s first inauguration, and Sunny joined the family a few years later as a companion for Bo. The press soon dubbed the pair “the first dogs.”
The Obamas’ pets were more than family companions; they became part of the public image of the Obama White House. As White House dogs, Bo and Sunny were closely followed by the public, and their antics offered a lighter counterpoint to political life. Sunny’s death drew an outpouring of affection online, underscoring how much the first dogs had come to symbolize the Obama era for many Americans.