The Obamas’ beloved pet dog Sunny has died after 13 years with the family, Barack Obama has announced.

“Yesterday, we lost a cherished member of our family,” the former US president wrote on X, describing her as a loyal dog who was “pretty much perfect” and always by their side.

The family had two Portuguese Water Dogs in the White House. They got Sunny at the beginning of Obama’s second presidential term in 2013.

Sunny met many high-profile visitors while Obama was president, from foreign dignitaries to Pope Francis.

Their other dog, Bo, joined the family in 2009 as a gift for daughters Sasha and Malia to help them settle into the White House. Bo died in 2021.

Obama said that when Sunny joined the family they “immediately fell in love”.

He described her as “full of boundless energy”, saying she leapt over the hedges on the South Lawn like they weren’t even there.

Sunny most enjoyed “having us run around with her, roll on the floor with her, or have her belly rubbed for as long as we were willing”, he wrote.

“She loved the girls, even if they were pestering her when she was napping. She loved our team, and would often follow them around, helping them on the job.”

Obama added that Sunny was “a loud and sloppy drinker” who hated getting wet.

“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.”

He said the family would miss her terribly and that she was now with her “big brother” Bo.

Sunny was a regular at White House events, meeting children at Christmas parties and international dignitaries on state visits. In 2015, Sunny and Bo met Pope Francis in the Blue Room at the presidential residence.

Former chief White House photographer Pete Souza said it was an “honour” to work with Sunny, describing her as a “willing subject” who had “the rare distinction of being petted by both a President and a Pope”.

There is a long tradition of pets at the White House. Donald Trump is believed to be the only president in the past 100 years to not have a pet.