Sylvester Stallone insists he and wife Jennifer Flavin did not file for divorce over his new dog

Sylvester Stallone has hit out at reports that he and his wife sought to end their relationship over a disagreement concerning his new dog.

After 25 years of marriage, Jennifer Flavin reportedly filed a petition “for dissolution of marriage and other relief” in Florida last Friday (19 August).

The Rocky actor, 76, has now come out against reports that the split arrived after he purchased a new rottweiler, Dwight, and that a dispute over the dog provoked a series of other arguments that led to the divorce filing.

Stallone told TMZ that, while he and his wife were at odds over Dwight’s care – especially since he often travels for work and their living arrangements are bicoastal – it did not trigger the break down of their marriage.

“We did not end the relationship on such a trivial argument,” he said.

“We just went in different directions. I have the highest respect for Jennifer,” the actor added. “I will always love her. She’s an amazing woman. She’s the nicest human being I’ve ever met.”

The separation comes just days after the Rocky actor covered up a tattoo of his wife’s portrait with one of his late dog, Butkus.

The move led fans to believe that their decades-long marriage was on the rocks, but Stallone’s rep had told the Daily Mail that he “intended to refresh the tattoo image of his wife” but the results were “unsatisfactory and, unfortunately, unfixable”.

On Wednesday (24 August), Flavin described her filing for divorce from her husband as “sad”, but insisted they plan to move forward amicably.

She told People: “I’m sad to announce that after 25 years of marriage I have filed for divorce from my husband Sylvester Stallone. While we will no longer be married, I will always cherish the more than 30-year relationship that we shared, and I know we are both committed to our beautiful daughters.”

“I ask for privacy for our family as we amicably move forward,” the businesswoman and model added.

Flavin is also accusing Stallone of allegedly moving assets from marital funds.

“Upon information and belief, the Husband has engaged in the intentional dissipation, depletion and/or waste of marital assets which has had an adverse economic impact on the marital estate,” court documents stated.