There’s nothing like seeing an actor known for playing tough guys become a total softie when he’s around his dog. Sylvester Stallone once owned Bullmastiff Butkus, who appeared in the first two Rocky movies. Now, after over 40 years, the Expendables actor has himself a brand-new puppy, and there’s an adorable video featuring the two.
The 76-year-old actor got himself a new “four-legged friend” in the form of a giant puppy. Sylvester Stallone posted a video to Instagram, and it shows him petting the happy rottweiler, who he named Dwight after his character in Tulsa King, which hails from Yellowstone‘s Taylor Sheridan. In the clip, the star asks about how to wash his new pet and if he’s good with meeting people. But clearly the video speaks for itself, as the pooch looked very pleasant and relaxed as his new owner continued petting him:
The relationship the actor had with his first dog was a very beautiful one. The star got Butkus in 1969, when the dog was six weeks old. Butkus was by the Oscar winner’s side during the early days in which he was writing Rocky. At that point, the hopeful star had only a screenplay and a dream. Ultimately, due to financial trouble at the time, he had to make the tough call to sell his beloved dog.
Luckily, this heartbreaking separation didn’t last too long, as he managed to sell his Rocky script and had enough money to reclaim Butkus. From there, the pooch made his big-screen appearances in the Rocky franchise. Butkus was featured in a few key scenes, like the iconic training sequence in which the boxer prepared for his fight with Apollo Creed. Unfortunately, Butkus died around 1981, though his cinematic legacy is certainly one for the books. And it goes without saying that his owner will probably always have memories of his four-legged co-star even as he goes on to make new ones with Dwight.
Aside from his responsibilities as a dog owner, Sylvester Stallone has a number of projects in the works that are sure to delight fans. He’ll appear bearded and bloody in the superhero film Samaritan and is also reprising his role as Stakar Ogord in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. He’s also returning for The Expendables 4 alongside Jason Statham. Stallone isn’t happy about not owning the rights to Rocky, though he still has plenty of other productions to keep him occupied.
Sylvester Stallone and Dwight are sure to have plenty of great times together. And who knows, maybe Dwight might mess around and find himself in one of his owner’s big productions. We’ll just have to wait and see.
If you’re curious about the character from whom Dwight gets his name, be sure to catch Tulsa King on November 13th using your Paramount+ subscription.