The Rock Had To Put His Dog Down, Wants To Warn Pet Owners

The Rock AKA Dwayne Johnson may have built his career from his tough-guy wrestler image, but he isn’t fooling anyone. We know he’s a big softie at heart and we’ve always loved him. He’s a family man and dog lover and his Instagram account frequently tugs at our heartstrings. So, when he took to his social media last month to announce that he had saved the life of (and subsequently adopted) a teeny puppy named Brutus, we literally couldn’t cope. There are human men and then there is The Rock out in a massive field by himself.

Here’s a fun Labor Day weekend story… We just decided to add two new members to our Johnson family. Baby French Bulldogs. In my right hand is BRUTUS and in my left hand is HOBBS. Bring them home and immediately take them outside so they can start learning how to “handle their business and potty like big boys”. I set them both down and they both take off in a full sprint and fall right into the deep end of our pool. HOBBS immediately starts doggy paddling while BRUTUS (like a brick) sink heads first to the bottom of the pool. I take off into a full sprint, fully clothed, dive in the pool, swim to the bottom, rescue my brick, I mean BRUTUS and bring him back to the edge of the pool. He was a little delirious.. took a moment, threw up all the water he swallowed and looked up at me as if to say, “Thank God you didn’t have to give me mouth to mouth!” and then ran off to play with his brother. A few lessons I’ve learned today.. A) Not all puppies have the instinct to doggie paddle. B) Some puppies (like BRUTUS) will be so in shock by experiencing water they will sink extremely fast so react quick. C) While spiriting to save your puppies life, before you dive in, try and throw your cel phone to safety. Don’t keep it in your pocket… like I did. #BRUTUSLives #HOBBSCanSwim #MyCelPhonesDead #AndNoMouthToMouthNeeded #HappyLaborDay

A photo posted by therock (@therock) on Sep 7, 2015 at 3:35pm PDT

Brutus was intended to be a new puppy-pal for his dog Hobbs and the two (we imagine) loved each other from the start. It was a perfect doggie match. Only this was sadly short-lived as the actor revealed some heartbreaking news: the newest member of his pup family had to be put down as Brutus accidently ate some poisonous mushrooms while frolicking in the garden. We can’t even deal with the sadness of this post:

Another reminder we have to live and love as greatly as we can today, because tomorrow is never guaranteed. At approximately 11:15pm last night myself and @laurenhashianofficial had to make the painful decision to end Brutus’ suffering by taking him off of life support and sending his soul to pup heaven. I held his lil’ paw as he was finally at peace. As all puppies and dogs do, he ate a mushroom while playing outside with his brother Hobbs. This mushroom happened to have a lethal toxicity and within hours it was rapidly destroying his liver and immune system to the point of no return. I encourage all of you out there to be mindful of mushrooms in your yards, parks or anywhere outside your dogs play. What looks innocent, can be deadly to your lil’ family members. Thank you Dr. Deckelbaum and Dr. West and the incredibly caring nurses and staff at The Animal Medical Center At Cooper City. We’ll always love you Brutus.. and you’ll always be my lil’ main man and rough housing Brute. #RIPBrutus #WishICouldveSavedYouOneMoreTime

A photo posted by therock (@therock) on Sep 29, 2015 at 12:04pm PDT

Johnson used the sorrowful moment to urge all pet owners to be extra mindful about what their pets eat, because as he puts it, you just never know what could happen as a result.

Johnson said he was forced to make the painful decision to have him put down in order to save him from more suffering. In the Instagram post, the 120kg wrestler warned fellow dog owners of the dangerous mushrooms.

?This mushroom happened to have a lethal toxicity and within hours it was rapidly destroying his liver and immune system to the point of no return,? he explained.

“I encourage all of you out there to be mindful of mushrooms in your yards, parks or anywhere outside your dogs play,” the actor wrote. “What looks innocent, can be deadly to your lil’ family members.”

He finished with this: ?We’ll always love you Brutus and you’ll always be my lil’ main man and rough housing Brute.?

Even though the family only had the pup for a few weeks, it must have must been an awful decision to have to make. However, it is at least good that he?is urging all pet owners to be extra mindful of their furry friends so that they can avoid the same fate.