The family of Barack Obama has said goodbye to Sunny, the dog who was part of his life for 13 years and who became one of the best-known pets of the White House. The former president of the United States announced his death with a message in which he recalled some of the moments they shared together.
Sunny came to the Obama family in 2013when Barack Obama was facing his second term as president of the United States. Since then he shared the spotlight with Bo, the other family dog, and became accustomed to an unusual life for a pet among the gardens, rooms and events of the presidential residence.
“We adopted Sunny at the beginning of our second term in the White House, and all of us — including our first dog, Bo — fell in love with her instantly,” Obama recalled when announcing her death.
This was Sunny, the Obamas’ Portuguese water dog
Sunny was a portuguese water dog with black fur that came to Washington to become the second pet of the presidential family. Bo, of the same race, had been living with the Obamas for several years when she joined the family.
Barack Obama has remembered her as an “athletic, energetic and very protective of Bo” dog. His character also had another side. The former president explained that, although Sunny had a personality that could be somewhat difficult at first, she ended up conquering those who knew her.
Their arrival occurred four years after that of Bo, who had joined the family in 2009. The two dogs lived together for years and became a regular image of the Obamas’ time in Washington.
From the White House to life after the presidency
Sunny spent her early years with the family in one of the most recognizable places in the world. During Obama’s second term, between 2013 and 2017, he lived in the White House along with Barack and Michelle Obama and their daughters, Malia and Sasha.
Obama’s departure from the presidency did not separate Sunny from the family. The dog continued to live with them after leaving the presidential residence and remained by their side for the following years.
Bo and Sunny were also two of the dogs that have been part of the long pet tradition American presidential elections. Bo died in 2021, after more than a decade with the family.
Barack Obama’s farewell to Sunny
Five years after Bo’s death, the Obama family also had to say goodbye to Sunny. The former president has recalled the bond they had with her since his arrival in 2013.
“We will miss her greatly, and we imagine that she is now with her older brother, taking care of him,” Obama wrote when announcing her death.
Sunny leaves well behind 13 years with the Obama familya stage that began during the presidency of Barack Obama and continued long after the couple and their daughters left the White House.