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Barack Obama Reveals Death Of Family Dog ‘Bo’

Michelle Obama also shared her thoughts about the loss.

Former President Barack Obama revealed on Saturday that the former “first dog” Bo has passed away. He was roughly 12 years old.

Taking to his social media accounts, Mr. Obama let everyone know how much Bo meant to their family.

"Today our family lost a true friend and loyal companion," he captioned in a post on his Instagram account featuring a picture of Bo running alongside him in the White House. "For more than a decade, Bo was a constant, gentle presence in our lives—happy to see us on our good days, our bad days, and everyday in between."

RELATED: Barack Obama Dedicates ‘A Promised Land’ Memoir To Wife, Michelle Obama and Daughters, Sasha and Malia

Obama added: “He tolerated all the fuss that came with being in the White House, had a big bark but no bite, loved to jump in the pool in the summer, was unflappable with children, lived for scraps around the dinner table, and had great hair. He was exactly what we needed and more than we ever expected. We will miss him dearly.”

Michelle Obama also took to her social media about the loss of Bo, writing he was a “constant, comforting presence in our lives” who helped comfort her and Barack after both of their children went off to college.

Bo was a Portuguese water dog given to Sasha and Malia Obama by Sen. Ted Kennedy and his wife Victoria in 2009. The Obama daughters were promised a dog during the campaign for Barack’s first run for president.

Bo was named partly for pioneering R&B musician Bo Diddley. Michelle’s father, Fraser Robinson II, was nicknamed Diddley.

In 2013, Bo was joined at the White House by a 1-year-old girl named Sunny who was the same breed.

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