Seven, the dog who played Daryl Dixon’s canine companion Dog on “The Walking Dead,” has died.
AMC confirmed the canine actor’s death Thursday on the show’s Instagram page: “Rest in peace, Seven. #TWD’s best boy,” the post said, featuring images of the Belgian Malinois. On X, formerly Twitter, the network’s announcement, which featured a shot of the Very Good Boy with Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier said, “All dogs go to heaven. Rest in Peace, Seven.”
Representatives for AMC did not immediately respond Friday to The Times’ request for comment.
Norman Reedus, who played Daryl in the zombie drama, paid tribute to the late pup in a series of photos posted on his Instagram stories and grid.
“Gonna miss u seven,” he wrote next to a broken heart emoji. “Best tv buddy ever.”
The “Boondock Saints” and “Blade II” actor campaigned for his character to have a dog in the TV adaptation of Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard’s comic book series. That finally came to pass in Season 9 of the 11-season post-apocalyptic horror drama. Dog, who first appeared on the series in 2018, was Reapers second-in-command Leah Shaw’s (Lynn Collins) pet and was later adopted by Daryl after her disappearance. Dog is later passed on to Daryl’s adopted niece, Judith Grimes (Cailey Fleming), who promises to take care of him while Daryl sets out to look for Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira).
Reedus has raved about working with the canine actor, telling ComicBook.com in 2018 that Seven’s different take on a specific scene they were working on together ended up making it “so much better.”
“He’ll probably be running the show. It’s great! I love it. He loves me, too,” Reedus said at the time.
Commenting on Reedus’ Instagram tribute to Seven, former co-star Collins wrote “Oh noooooooo” with a crying-face emoji.
Other “Walking Dead” stars, including Angel Theory and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, also chimed in.
“Rest in peace Seven,” Theory wrote on Instagram stories, sharing a February 2022 post of herself petting Seven. “You brought all the smiles on & off set. The most professional fur baby I’ve ever worked with! You’ll be truly missed Bud, We all adore you & thank you for the beautiful memories shared with you #ForeverAGoodBoy”
Morgan reacted with three heart emojis in response to AMC’s tweet announcing Seven’s death.
Seven also appeared in the 2017 comedy-thriller “Bitch” and in the 2015 family film “Ghost Dog.”
