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Sylvester Stallone Sold His Dog When He Was Poor. But The Story Doesn't End There

April 1, 2017

Long before Sylvester Stallone hit the big time, there were days of struggle.

Stallone had to sell his beloved dog, Butkus, to the first bidder.

Photo credit: Buvakine

But the story doesn't end there.

Stallone shared the photo below on Instagram and wrote:

"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!"

After Stallone 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 $40 but since the man knew that Stallone really loved his canine companion, he sold him back for $15,000.

"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!"