Sylvester Stallone responds to reports that a dog caused his marriage to fail.

That is the absolute truth.

Sylvester Stallone has denied that his 25-year marriage ended due to his dog.

Stallone’s wife, Jennifer Flavin, filed for divorce on Wednesday after they fought over a new Rottweiler named Dwight.

The dog debate — Flavin didn’t want another pet, while Stallone wanted the dog for “protection” — is said to have sparked a “extremely heated argument that brought up other issues.”

However, Stallone denies the dog charges.

“We did not end the relationship over such a trivial argument,” the 76-year-old “Rocky” star told TMZ, though he did admit that the couple disagreed on “how to care for the dog” because they frequently travel and live in two homes.

 

Stallone explained the couple’s unexpected split as simply going “in different directions.”

“I have the utmost respect for Jennifer,” he continued. “I will always cherish her. She’s an incredible woman. She’s the nicest person I’ve ever met.”

 

He also cleared the air about a Flavin tattoo he covered up with a Dwight portrait.

The “The Expendables” star explained that he wanted to “refresh” his Flavin tattoo, but “it got messed up and the dog was just a fix with no ill intention,” before adding that he still has a tattoo of his estranged wife on his back.

According to Page Six, Stallone was “surprised” when Flavin filed for divorce last week. He was in Oklahoma City filming the Paramount+ series “Tulsa King” and was “shocked” to hear the news.

 

“I’m sorry to announce that after 25 years of marriage, I have filed for divorce from my husband Sylvester Stallone,” Flavin said in an interview with People. “While we are no longer married, I will always cherish our more than 30-year relationship, and I know we are both committed to our beautiful daughters.”

 

The couple met in 1988, when Flavin was a 19-year-old model and Stallone was 42 and divorced twice. The couple married in 1997 after an on-again, off-again relationship and have three daughters, Sophia, Sistine, and Scarlet.