Sunny, the Obama family’s Portuguese water dog, has died at 13. Former President Barack Obama said the family adopted her at the beginning of his second term in 2013 and immediately fell in love—including Bo, the first Obama dog, who died in 2021.
She brought normal dog chaos to an abnormal address
Obama remembered Sunny as athletic, energetic and protective of Bo. In a fine display of individualism, the Portuguese water dog reportedly hated getting wet. Some creatures refuse to be limited by branding, and we respect that.
Presidential pets occupy an odd place in public life. They soften political families, create harmless news and occasionally become tiny ambassadors with better approval ratings than anyone holding office. Sunny joined a White House tradition that includes Millie Bush, Buddy Clinton and Barney Bush.
The loss is still simply a family loss
Associated Press reported Sunny’s death on September 16, 2026. Obama wrote that the family imagines her reunited with Bo and making sure he is all right.
There is no useful partisan angle here. Anyone who has loved an aging dog recognizes the empty room, the missing routine and the sudden quiet. Sunny spent part of her life in the White House, but the grief at the end belongs to every family that has ever reached for a leash that is no longer needed.
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Wade Crowley
Strange News & Small-Town WeirdWade collects stories that begin with “You are not going to believe what happened at the Walmart.” He covers odd crime, local legends, UFOs, and reality losing the plot.
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