Sunny (dog)

Sunny

Sunny in 2013
Other name	First Dog of the United States
Species	Canis lupus familiaris
Breed	Portuguese Water Dog
Sex	Female
Born	(2012-06-11) June 11, 2012 (age 13) Lansing, Michigan, United States
Known for	Pet of the First family of the United States (first dog)
Title	First Dog of the United States
Term	August 19, 2013 – January 20, 2017
Predecessor	Barney and Miss Beazley
Successor	Champ and Major
Owner	Obama family
Appearance	Black
Named after	Personality

Sunny (born June 11, 2012) is a pet dog of the Obama family, the 44th presidential family of the United States. Sunny is a female Portuguese Water Dog who was a First Dog of the United States along with Bo. ^[1] Sunny was introduced via First Lady Michelle Obama's Twitter account on August 19, 2013. ^[2]

Breeding and original owners

Sunny is a purebred Portuguese Water Dog and was selected from a breeder in the Great Lakes area. ^[3]

Media response

Although Sunny was purchased from a breeder, president of The Humane Society of the United States, Wayne Pacelle, wrote on a blog post, "As we always say in such circumstances, we hope the Obamas considered adoption or rescue as the first choice in obtaining a pet." He further went on to thank the Obama family for making a contribution to the Humane Society in Sunny's name, and helping reduce the suffering of dogs, although he would like the policies to finally become law. ^[3]

Incidents

There have been minor incidents involving Sunny. In 2013, at an arts and crafts event for military families, Sunny knocked over a 2-year-old girl while in front of Michelle Obama. However, the child was unharmed. Sunny was not aggressive towards the child, licking her face. ^{[4] [5]} In January 2017, Sunny reportedly bit a White House visitor on the face, leaving a cut under the visitor's eye, which required stitches. The visitor, who was a teen friend of Malia, was treated by the president's physician, Dr. Ronny Jackson. ^{[6] [7]}

See also

• Bo
• United States presidential pets
• List of individual dogs

References

1. Feldmann, Lindie. "New little girl arrives at White House. Meet Sunny Obama. (+video)". Christian Science Monitor . Retrieved 20 August 2013.
2. Obama, Michelle [@FLOTUS] (August 19, 2013). "So excited to introduce the newest member of the Obama family—our puppy, Sunny! http://at.wh.gov/o4DkW —mo" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
3. Grier, Peter (August 20, 2013). "New White House pup Sunny: Why not a rescue dog?". Christian Science Monitor . Retrieved August 20, 2013.
4. "How does a two-year-old make news for falling over? When it's at the White House". The Washington Post . December 4, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
5. Goodin, Emily (December 4, 2012). "Obama dog knocks over toddler". The Hill . Retrieved November 2, 2020.
6. Evon, Dan (January 13, 2017). "Obama Family Dog Reportedly Bites Visitor". Snopes . Retrieved January 22, 2017.
7. Lejeune, Tristan (January 13, 2017). "White House defends Sunny and Bo after biting report". The Hill . Retrieved July 23, 2018.

External links

• Media related to Sunny (dog) at Wikimedia Commons

Honorary titles
Preceded by Bo (as sole presidential dog)	White House pet dog August 19, 2013–January 20, 2017 Served alongside: Bo	Succeeded by Champ and Major Joe Biden’s German Shepherds (January 20, 2021)