Dave Bautista has a new addition to his family, a three-month-old puppy with a horrific past.
The “Guardians of the Galaxy” star took to Instagram to introduce the pup to his 3.6 million followers, revealing the animal had suffered “horrific abuse” before being abandoned and left for dead, luckily being found and taken to an animal shelter.
The dog — originally known as Sage before Bautista renamed her — received medical care for wounds suffered due to a chain that had been so tightly wrapped around the animal’s neck that it had embedded in the skin, requiring surgery to remove.
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Bautista is also seeking to find those responsible for abusing Penny and hold them responsible for their crimes.
“ATTN Tampa Bay: I will personally hand $5000 cash to the person who gives information leading to the arrest and conviction of the sick piece of s**t responsible for this,” he wrote in his post. “If you know anything please contact @humanesocietytampabay or @safek9.”
Bautista was quickly deluged with support. Actor Mickey Rourke offered an addition $1,000, while a Tampa Bay law firm offered to match Bautista’s $5,000.
In a video he subsequently posted on Instagram, Bautista admitted there were no “solid leads” yet, but he remained hopeful.
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In the meantime, he publicly welcomed Penny to the family.
“The puppy you know as Sage today became Penny Bautista,” he declared. “I’d like to introduce you to the newest member of my family… she is now a Bautista, and she will never be abused again in her life.”
