It looks like Dave Bautista has a new member of the family. Earlier this month, the Humane Society of Tampa Bay shared online that an injured dog named Sage had been brought in by a good samaritan who spotted the dog eating garbage at the Home Cemetery. The neglected animal also had a chain embedded deeply into her neck, and the damage was so bad it required surgery to remove the chain.
“Sage is only 3-months-old,” the HSTP’s post read. “She is very sweet and friendly. Even though she is in immense pain Sage was wagging her tail on the exam table while our veterinarian and vet techs were examining her. In addition to the chain, we noticed that Sage has skin issues and overgrown nails. We can’t imagine who would do this to her.”
After the surgery, Sage has recovered remarkably. The HSTP also offered a $1,500 reward leading to the conviction of those responsible for the 3-month-old pitbull’s injuries. After she was back at 100%, Sage was put up for adoption at the shelter, grabbing the attention of many who’d been touched by her story. Among them was Dave Bautista, who personally offered his own $5,000 reward for information on the culprit(s).
The caption reads, “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 sh*t responsible for this. In addition @humanesocietytampabay is also offering $1500.If you know anything please contact @humanesocietytampabay or @safek9.”
“To me, there’s nothing more innocent and pure than a puppy,” Bautista later said of the situation, per WHAS11. “For someone who can abuse a puppy has got to be the lowest form of human being, pure evil, for someone who can abuse an animal like that. It makes me sick to my stomach.”
The search for the person or people responsible continues, but this story does have an excellent update. As it turns out, Dave Bautista could not get Sage out of his mind after becoming so invested in finding justice for the pitbull. In a new video posted to Instagram, the Guardians of the Galaxy star reveals that Sage is now the newest member of the Bautista family. He’s also given her a new name: Penny.
“On my last Instagram post, I posted about a puppy that was horribly abused,” Bautista says in the video, noting that the bad news is that the former owners haven’t been found. He adds, “The good news is, the puppy you know as Sage actually became Penny Bautista. So I’d like to introduce you to the newest member of my family. There she is, healing up, nice, and recovered. She is now a Bautista, and she will never be abused again a day in her life. Not a second in her life. She’s about to live her best puppy life ever.”
You couldn’t ask for a better outcome for Penny Bautista than that. Let’s just hope the attention on the situation will help lead to some justice for the puppy. Anyone with information can contact Humane Society of Tampa Bay.