Former President Barack Obama said his family is "heartbroken" after their Portuguese Water Dog, Sunny, died Tuesday at age 13, ending a chapter that began during his second term in the White House.
Obama shared the news in a social media post, calling Sunny "a cherished member of our family" and describing the dog's thirteen years with the Obamas in detail. Sunny arrived in 2013, shortly after Obama won re-election, and quickly became a fixture of the household alongside Bo, the family's first dog.
The former president's tribute painted Sunny as energetic, loyal, and impossible to slow down. He wrote on Instagram:
"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."
Obama added that Sunny was "always loyal, always sweet, always ready for adventure, still fiery and gorgeous till the very end of her days." He said the family imagines she is now reunited with Bo, their first Portuguese Water Dog, who died in 2021. "We will miss her terribly, and imagine she's with her big brother now, making sure he's okay," Obama wrote.
The New York Post reported that Sunny was adopted from Michigan in 2013, four years after the Obamas brought home Bo. Obama said the whole family, Bo included, "immediately fell in love" with her.
On his podcast-era tribute, Obama also noted that Sunny had a soft side. "She loved the girls, even if they were pestering her when she was napping," he wrote, referring to daughters Malia, now 28, and Sasha, now 25.
Malia Obama has kept a relatively low public profile in recent years, though she has drawn attention for dropping her famous last name from film credits, a move that hasn't entirely separated her from the family spotlight.
Sunny's years in the White House were not without incident. In 2012, the dog knocked over a two-year-old girl named Ashtyn Gardner during a White House Christmas event. The moment was caught on camera. Gardner was not hurt.
A more serious episode came in January 2017, as the Obamas were preparing to leave the presidency. Sunny bit a friend of Malia Obama's, leaving the girl with a bloody cut on her face. The president's physician treated the injury.
Those incidents aside, Obama's tribute focused on the brighter memories, Sunny chasing squirrels across the South Lawn, meeting Pope Francis at the White House, and spending thirteen years as a constant companion to the family.
The announcement came during a period of heightened public activity for the former first couple. Last week, Barack and Michelle Obama appeared together at the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks at Ground Zero in New York City, alongside other former presidents and first ladies from the Clinton and Bush families.
Before that, the couple had last been seen together publicly at the grand opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago in June. The center has drawn both supporters and critics since its unveiling.
Michelle Obama, 62, has also been busy with her podcast, "IMO," which she co-hosts with her brother Craig Robinson. In a recent episode, she discussed parenting and resilience, telling listeners that failure builds strength.
"Life is like a big muscle. You've got to build it up. Every failure is like a pushup or a rep. The more reps you do the stronger you get at life. You don't get the strength without the reps."
Robinson echoed the theme, suggesting that parents should let their children experience setbacks early so that their first major failures in their twenties don't feel like a catastrophe.
Obama himself has stayed active in public life, recently hosting WNBA All-Stars at his Presidential Center, a reminder that the former president rarely strays far from the spotlight.
Obama did not share a cause of death for Sunny, and no location for the dog's passing was given. The former president's post focused entirely on tribute rather than details. Thirteen is a full life for a Portuguese Water Dog, a breed with a typical lifespan of ten to fourteen years.
Whatever your politics, losing a dog after thirteen years is a grief most Americans understand. That part of the story needs no spin.