Sylvester Stallone Posts A Tribute For His ‘Rocky’ Dog Butkus & It’s Beautiful

I’m sure you’ve heard the Sylvester-Butkus love story.

Long before Sylvester Stallone hit the big time as Rocky and turned into the Italian Stallion, there were days of struggle. Things got so out of hand that poor Sylvester had to sell his dog, Butkus, to the first bidder.

But the story doesn’t end there.

After he sold the screenplay for Rocky, the first thing he did was go back to the man and bought back his bull mastiff. He had sold Butkus for a paltry $40 but since the man knew that Sylvester really loved his canine companion, he didn’t sell him back for less then $15,000.

But Rocky didn’t care. Like he mentions in his Instagram post, Butkus “was worth every penny!”

And now, 41 years after Rocky I and 36 years since Butkus’ passing, the 70-year-old Sylvester has posted a beautiful tribute for Butkus, who according to him was “the one living thing that loved me for who I was!”

I absolutely love pictures like this. When I was 26, totally broke, going nowhere VERY fast, owned two pair of pants that barely fit, shoes that had holes in them and dreams of being successful were as far away as the sun… But I had my dog, BUTKUS, my best friend, my confidant, Who always laughed at my jokes, and put up with my moods, and was the one living thing that loved me for who I was! #man’s best friend#BullMastiff #Loyalty #NewYorkCity#AmericanDreams

A post shared by Sly Stallone (@officialslystallone) on Mar 30, 2017 at 9:21am PDT

1971… Since we’re on the subject of ” man’s best friend” this is myself and Butkus as a puppy , we were both , thin , hungry and living in a flophouse above a subway stop, I used to say this apartment had ” … Hot and cold running roaches” anyway there was not much to do except spend time with each other and that’s where I started to learn the craft of screenwriting. Since I never went out, I relied on his companionship , And actually it was his idea to write Rocky, but don’t tell anyone…. Years later when things got even worse I had to sell him for $40 in front of a 7-Eleven store,because I couldn’t afford food, then like A modern day miracle, the screenplay for Rocky sold, and I could buy and buy him back, but the new owner knew I was desperate, and charged me $15,000 … He was worth every penny! #New York City #HellsKitchen #BullMastiff #It’sADogsWorld. #MoreToCome#inspiration #ThunderingYourHeart #GoingThedistance

A post shared by Sly Stallone (@officialslystallone) on Mar 30, 2017 at 9:42am PDT

A dog is indeed a man’s best friend!