‘The Walking Dead’ Dog Dies: Norman Reedus Pays Tribute to ‘Best TV Buddy Ever’

Martin Holmes June 14, 2024, 8:06 am

Norman Reedus and Seven in Walking Dead — AMC

Norman Reedus and other cast members from The Walking Dead are mourning the loss of Seven, the canine actor who played Dog on the hit AMC zombie series.

The official Walking Dead Instagram page confirmed the passing on Thursday (June 13), writing, “Rest in peace, Seven. #TWD’s best boy” alongside a gallery of the Belgian Malinois on the show.

Dog became a frequent companion of Reedus’ Daryl Dixon in Season 9 and quickly grew to be loved by fans and cast members alike.

“Gonna miss u seven,” Reedus wrote on his Instagram Stories alongside photos of himself with Seven over the years. “Best tv buddy ever.”

Lynn Collins, who played Leah, Dog’s original owner, also commented on the Instagram post, writing, “Oh noooooooo” with a crying face emoji.

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Meanwhile, Angel Theory, who played Kelly, wrote, #ForeverAGoodBoy.”

Norman Reedus Instagram

Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who played Negan, also shared a series a love heart emojis on X.

❤️❤️❤️

— Jeffrey Dean Morgan (@JDMorgan) June 13, 2024

Fans also took the news hard, with one commenter writing, “Well, that’s my day ruined.”

“Heartbroken. The fans used to say ‘if Dog dies, we riot,’ well…I’m down if you are,” added another.

“That’s so sad. He was a good ‘Dog.’ May he rest in peace and keep all those great memories you made with him,” said another viewer.

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Reedus had long campaigned for a dog companion on The Walking Dead, but it didn’t happen until the ninth season when Daryl adopted Dog after Leah disappeared.

Speaking to ComicBook.com in 2018, Reedus praised Seven, saying, “We just did a scene the other day that ended up being the opposite of what it was supposed to be because the dog just wanted to do something else, and it came out so much better. He’ll probably be running the show. It’s great! I love it. He loves me, too.”

The scene Reedus was referring to was likely from the episode “Guardians,” where Dog refused to let go of Daryl’s arrow and ended up breaking it, which was not supposed to happen. However, Reedus kept rolling with the scene, adding his memorable “bad Dog” line.