TAMPA (WFLA) — Former professional wrestler and Marvel actor David Bautista has adopted a severely abused dog after offering a reward over the weekend for information leading to the person responsible, according to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay.
The Tampa resident is not just a hero on the big screen after coming to the rescue of the dog the shelter named Sage after a good Samaritan found her in bad shape in a local cemetery.
The 3-month-old puppy was brought to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay with a metal chain embedded in her neck.
“I just came across her story, and it crushed me,” Bautista said.
Bautista took to social media offering a $5,000 reward for information on the person responsible for abusing Sage.
“To me, there’s nothing more innocent and pure than a puppy. And for someone who can abuse a puppy has got to be the lowest form of human being, it’s pure evil for someone who can abuse an animal like that, you know, it makes me sick to my stomach,” Bautista said.
And he’s not just trying to get justice for her, he’s also giving her a new home. Bautista adopted the young pup.
This is not the only dog the movie star has saved. Back in 2019, he also adopted two pit bulls from another shelter here in the Tampa Bay area.
Bautista is asking all of us to step up and be a hero to a dog in need.
“A lot of people are leery because they want puppies and they want to raise them from puppies and make sure they know them, they know their personalities. But a lot of times, you know, dogs are already vetted before they leave the shelter. So they’re safe and they’re loveable they need a home, they just need a home and the love that they give back is priceless,”
Bautista said he renamed the pooch Penny, because it will sound better when he’s calling her along with his two other dogs, Maggie and Ollie.