Washington — Former President Barack Obama announced Wednesday that the family’s dog, Sunny, had died, calling the 13-year-old Portuguese water dog a “cherished member of our family.”  

In a social media post, Obama wrote “we will miss her terribly.” 

“As far as our family was concerned, she was pretty much perfect,” Obama wrote. The post was reshared by his wife, former first lady Michelle Obama, and had been viewed on X over 2 million times within three hours of being shared. They also shared a Facebook post with several photos, including one with the pope, which had hundreds of thousands of reactions. 

The Obama family adopted Sunny as a puppy during his second term in 2013. On Wednesday, Obama wrote that the whole household, including their first dog, Bo, “immediately fell in love” with her, adding that for the next 13 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 also described the contrast between his two dogs’ personalities. Bo could usually be won over with a treat, he wrote, whereas 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.” 

Sunny’s best qualities. Both of the Obamas’ dogs were famous for running around the White House lawn, and the former president Obama also described Sunny in his memorial post as “athletic and full of boundless energy.” He also wrote about her quirks, such as how the Portuguese water dog had an ironic hatred for getting wet. “As far as our family was concerned, she was pretty much perfect,” he wrote. 

Obama’s daughters Sasha and Malia, who were 12 and 14 when Sunny joined the family, also were close with Sunny, Obama said. “She (Sunny) loved the girls, even if they were pestering her when she was napping,” Obama wrote. Sunny was also a great addition to the White House staff, Obama said. “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 the family said died of cancer in 2021 at the age of 12. The Obamas adopted Bo in 2009, fulfilling a campaign promise to Malia and Sasha. Bo had been with the Obamas since shortly after Barack Obama’s first inauguration in 2009. Sunny joined the family a few years later as a companion for Bo, and the pair were soon after dubbed “the first dogs” by the press.