Farewell, Bo: Barack Obama's beloved dog and White House star dies of cancer

The Portuguese water dog was a regular sight at White House events during Obama's presidency

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  In this April 2010 photo, Bo, the Obamas' family pet, sits in the Cross Hall of the White House. AP

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  This August 2010 photo shows presidential pet Bo climbing the stairs of Air Force One for a flight to Chicago with Barack Obama. AP

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  In this June 2011 photo, first dog Bo enjoys a nap in a shady spot on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC. AP

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  In this November 2014 photo, Michelle Obama, left, follows her daughters Malia, centre, and Sasha, as they arrive to welcome the official Christmas tree to the White House. Malia has Bo on a leash and Sasha has the family's other dog, Sunny, on a leash. AP

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  Barack Obama reads from the children's book 'Where the Wild Things Are' along with Michelle Obama, daughters Sasha and Malia, and their dog Bo, during the White House Easter Egg Roll in April 2012. EPA

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  Bo walks past decorations at the South Portico before a Halloween event at the White House in October 2015. EPA

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  Barack Obama speaks to members of the press while Michelle Obama and their daughter Malia play with Bo in April 2009. EPA

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  Barack Obama had promised his daughters, Malia and Sasha, that they could get a dog after the 2008 election. AP

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  In this December 2009 photo, Bo stands near the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC. AP

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  Bo died on May 8, 2021, after a battle with cancer, the Obamas said on social media. AP

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  In this December 2015 photo, Michelle Obama, with dog Bo, is surrounded by children in the State Dining Room of the White House. AP

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  In this photo taken in April 2009, Malia Obama walks six-month-old Portuguese water dog Bo alongside Barack Obama, Sasha Obama and Michelle Obama on the South Lawn of the White House. AFP

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  In this photo taken in March 2012, then-US President Barack Obama greets his dog, Bo, outside the Oval Office in Washington, DC. AFP

Barack Obama's family dog Bo, who became a popular resident of the White House, died on Saturday from cancer, the former president said, remembering him as "a constant, gentle presence in our lives".

Obama had promised his young daughters Malia and Sasha that they could get a dog after the 2008 election, and Bo joined the family soon after they moved into the president's official residence.

"Today our family lost a true friend and loyal companion," Obama said on Twitter, sharing photographs of himself and Bo running down a White House corridor and Bo being petted by children.

"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 every day in between," Obama wrote.

"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."

Bo, a black-and-white Portuguese water dog, was a gift to the Obamas from senator Edward Kennedy, and was chosen because of the breed's hypoallergenic coat.

He appeared regularly at White House events, particularly the annual Easter Egg Roll, met the Pope, visited children in hospital and flew on Air Force One.

"As a family, we will miss Bo dearly," former first lady Michelle Obama wrote on Instagram. "But we are thankful that he lived such a joyful life full of snuggles, games of fetch and evenings spent lying on the couch."

Michelle also said she was grateful for the time the family got to spend with him because of the pandemic, and said that over the past year, "no one was happier than Bo".

“All his people were under one roof again,” she wrote.