Since the inception of the John Wick franchise in 2014, dogs have always been an inseparable and pivotal part of the story.

The franchise has created its own fan base all across the globe due to actor Keanu Reeves’ stellar performances as the protagonist of the story, electrifying action sequences throughout all the movies, and most strikingly, the significant presence of dogs in all the films.

A still of Keanu Reeves as John Wick with his Beagle puppy Daisy in John Wick (Image Via IMDb)

Throughout the first three movies in the franchise, including 2014’s John Wick, 2017’s John Wick: Chapter 2, and 2019’s John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, the protagonist, Wick had two dogs, one beagle named Daisy and another pitbull, first named Boy, then Bubba.

John Wick: Chapter 4, the brand new fourth movie in the franchise, will premiere on March 24, 2023. Since the official trailer for the movie was dropped, fans of the John Wick franchise have already been buzzing with anticipation and thrill to find out which dogs they will get to see in the upcoming installment.

John Wick has had 2 dogs so far, including one beagle and one pitbull

1) Daisy, the beagle

A still of the Beagle who played Daisy in John Wick (Image Via IMDb)
In the first movie of the John Wick franchise, the main character Wick was seen having a wonderful beagle puppy named Daisy. From the very beginning, the audience realized that the little puppy meant a lot to Wick as it was a precious gift given to him by his beloved late wife. The dog that played the role of Daisy was named Andy in real life.

His wife had unfortunately passed away due to leukemia. The dog was presented as a token of love and care and needless to say that it became Wick’s world.

However, the scenario was completely turned upside down when the adorable Beagle, Daisy, was ruthlessly murdered in the very first scene of the first movie.

An Italian mafia boss named Santino, who was the film’s prime antagonist, was seen invading Wick’s house as he was extremely upset and enraged with the protagonist for not agreeing to repay the debt.

Santino not only went on to blow up and burn down his entire home, but he also killed Daisy, his Beagle. After which, he delivered the infamous line:

“No wife. No home. No dog. You have nothing, John. Vengeance is all you have left.”
The incident pretty much gave the audience the rest of the John Wick franchise.

2) Boy or Bubba, the pitbull

A still of the Pitbull as Boy or Bubba in John Wick: Chapter 2 (Image Via IMDb)
In the first installment of the franchise, the audience also witnessed Wick taking another dog, a pitbull, from a shelter at the very end of the movie. During this particular sequence, the film’s protagonist was badly hurt after fighting off several bad guys.

He then went on to stumble into a shelter and used the supplies there to treat his severe injuries. While at the shelter, Wick noticed a pitbull puppy and then and there decided to take the puppy with him. Very simply, John Wick went on to call the pitbull by the name, “Boy”. The pitbull continued as the protagonist’s faithful and constant companion throughout the second and third installments.

Later, Wick eventually began calling the pitbull Bubba. The pitbull’s character was played by two different dogs in John Wick: Chapter 2 and John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. In the second movie, the character was played by a pitbull named Burton and in the following movie, it was portrayed by a pitbull named Cha Cha.

As seen in the final official trailer for John Wick Chapter 4, another fiery dog character will be introduced, who will be seen fighting side-by-side with Wick.

While talking about the new dog character in Chapter 4, the movie’s director, Chad Stahelski, said in a recent interview with Collider:
“Well, the [new] character of the dog is a her, but we had, let’s see, three females and two male dogs to comp all one dog together, depending on what the stunt, or the gag, or the acting bit was. This time we learned a lot from last time, but we wanted a little bit more out of this one in specialty stuff.”
He added:
“We had the dog, I think it was just over five months, to work with cast and on stunts. It’s just when you’re bringing in the stunt teams, and we have different stunt teams on this one because it’s so much bigger, the dog is just like friends.” (Via Collider)