In the 1976 film, "Rocky", Butkus lived in a cage while waiting to be sold at J&M Tropical Fish. Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) displayed a lot of love and affection for the dog as he would usually yell "Yo, Butkus!" and make animal noises during his routine visits. Butkus was later given to Rocky by his love interest and later wife Adrian Pennino (Talia Shire) as a Christmas gift to keep him company while training for his Heavyweight Championship rematch against Apollo Creed. Rocky and Butkus were later seen running down the street together on their way to the meat plant where Adrian's brother Paulie Pennino (Burt Young) worked.

"Rocky" is an American sports drama multimedia franchise created by Sylvester Stallone, which began with the eponymous 1976 film and has since become a cultural phenomenon, centered on the boxing career of Rocky Balboa. Butkus was Sylvester Stallone's own dog and was used due to the low film budget. He appeared in the first two films "Rocky" and "Rocky II".

More Info: rocky.fandom.com