Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista rescued a neglected puppy -- who he has named Penny Bautista -- after offering a cash reward for information leading to the arrest of the dog's abusers.
According to Bautista, as posted on his Instagram, the pup was found in Tampa Bay, FL, severely wounded around her neck and shoulders. In his post, the actor stated he would "personally hand $5000 cash" to anyone who has information leading to the capture and arrest of those responsible. The Human Society of Tampa Bay also offered $1500 for the same. While these offers still stand, Bautista posted an update on his Instagram about the dog, now named Penny, who made a full recovery and was officially adopted by Bautista himself.
"The bad news is we don't have any solid leads now, we are trying to catch this person responsible. 'Cause, it's a three-month-old puppy that was horribly abused and needed surgery and is recovering from [her] surgery, that's the update," Bautista said in the video, alongside Louis Safé, who runs Safe K9, an organization that provides personal dog training and canine rehabilitation in the Tampa Bay area.
"The bad news is, again, we haven't found this person responsible," Bautista continued. "The good news is, today, the puppy you know as Sage actually became Penny Bautista." While those responsible have not been caught, Penny found her forever home in the process.
"She is about to live her best puppy life," the actor said.
On top of rescuing animals, the actor is reportedly set to start filming his last appearance as Drax the Destroyer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in November. Bautista announced in May 2021 that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will likely be his last appearance as Drax, though it won't be the last time the character appears in the MCU. He later expanded on that statement in an interview, saying "the shirtless thing is getting harder," but also that, for Bautista, "the journey has come full circle and I'm just ready to kind of step aside and wrap it up."
Bautista will reprise his role as Drax the Destroyer in two more films. The first will be Thor: Love and Thunder, which is directed by Taika Waititi and set to premiere in theaters May 6, 2022. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is also planned to air on Disney+ in December. His final MCU appearance will be in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, written and directed by James Gunn, which is set to hit theaters on May 5, 2023.