Sunny (dog)
Pet dog of the Obama family (born 2012)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
Sunny in 2013 | |
| Other name | First Dog of the United States |
|---|---|
| Species | Canis lupus familiaris |
| Breed | Portuguese Water Dog |
| Sex | Female |
| Born | June 11, 2012 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 |
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]
