Bo Gets a Little Sister as Obama Family Embraces New Puppy Sunny (VIDEO)

The Obamas have returned to the White House after a week on vacation and they brought an extra family member home with them, Sunny, a Portuguese Water Dog, according to the Huffington Post.

"Sunny is the perfect little sister for Bo - full of energy and very affectionate - and the First Family picked her name because it fit her cheerful personality," Hannah August, writing on the White House blog, said.

Malia Obama, the older of the two Obama children, is allergic to dogs so the family settled on a Portuguese Water Dog because they cause less allergies than most dogs. While some breeders may claim that they are hypoallergenic there are actually no hypoallergenic dog breeds. Dog that don't shed as much, such as the Portuguese Water Dog, don't spread their dander into the air as easily so they don't effect allergies as much, according to the Mayo Clinic.

The First Lady, Michelle Obama, may have been the one advocating to get a new dog. In October she told reporters that she needed to host a "doggie play date" for Bo since he wasn't getting enough time to play with other dogs. Now Bo has a constant playmate in Sunny, according to the White House.

"We suspect Sunny will follow in Bo's footsteps and keep the President company in the Oval Office, go for walks with the First Family after their 6:30 family dinner and even jump up on the First Lady's lap from time to time!" August said.

There has been a long and storied history of pets at the White House. Recent presidents don't seem to have nearly as many farm animals as some of the early presidents did. Some of the notable pets included a parrot that was taught to sweat by Andrew Jackson, two bear cubs owned by Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt had a badger and John Quincy Adams baby sat an alligator for the Marquis de Lafayette for a few months in the East Room of the White House, according to the "Handy Science Answer Book."