Barack Obama said his family have been left heartbroken after their beloved dog Sunny died aged 13. 

The former president said the pet died Tuesday, writing in an Instagram post that he had 'lost a cherished member of our family.'

'We got Sunny at the start of our second term in the White House, and all of us – including our first dog, Bo – immediately fell in love,' Obama wrote.

'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.'

The Obamas had two pet dogs in the White House, with their other beloved pooch Bo dying in 2021. 

Sunny - a Portuguese Water Dog - joined the Obamas in the White House in 2013 following Barack's re-election to a second term as president.

The former president wrote in his Instagram post that as soon as his family took in Sunny, 'she as pretty much perfect, and for thirteen 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.

'We will miss her terribly, and imagine she’s with her big brother now, making sure he’s okay.'

During Sunny's time in the White House, the adorable dog was involved in several headline-making incidents. 

In January 2017, as the Obamas were preparing to leave the presidency, Sunny bit a friend of Obama's daughter Malia. 

The girl was left with a bloody cut on her face following the incident, and was treated by the president's physician. 

In 2012, Sunny also knocked over a two-year-old girl at a White House Christmas event, in an incident caught on cameras. 

The young girl, Ashtyn Gardner, was not hurt by the pet. 

The post announcing Sunny's death comes after Obama appeared with former First Lady Michelle in public last week at a 25th anniversary of 9/11 at Ground Zero in New York City.

The couple stood alongside other former presidents and first ladies, including the Clinton and Bush families, at the solemn event. 

The Obamas have kept a low profile in recent months, and had not been seen together in public since June 2026 for the grand opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.

While Barack has remained largely behind the scenes, Michelle has continued releasing her podcast, IMO, and recently revealed how she kept her 'nepo baby' daughters grounded while they grew up in the White House. 

The former First Lady, 62, spoke about the importance of saying 'no' to children in order to set them up for success later in life.

She explained that it was especially vital that she told her and former President Barack Obama's daughters, Malia, now 28, and Sasha, now 25, 'no' when they were kids because of the unique situation they were in.

The topic came up after they read a question sent in by a listener, who asked for advice on dealing with a recent job rejection.

Michelle encouraged the fan to embrace failure, explaining: '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.'

She added that everyone has to 'learn what their own process is for getting through failure,' which is something she said you 'figure out the older you get.'

Her brother and co-host, Craig Robinson, then suggested that parents let their kids fail when they're young so that their first major setback in their 20s doesn't feel like a 'catastrophe.'