Chris Evans and His Dog Dodger: A Timeline of Their Pawsome Friendship

Credit: Courtesy Chris Evans/Twitter (3)

Chris Evans and His Dog Dodger: A Timeline of Their Pawsome Friendship

Man’s best friend! There is no stronger bond than that of a human and their pup — and Chris Evans and his dog, Dodger, are prime examples of this dynamic. The Avengers star first met his sweet mixed-breed boxer around the time he was filming his 2017’s Gifted. He shared a video of their initial introduction to Twitter in April 2018, in which Evans — who was off-camera — approached the pen where the rescue pup was being held. The Knives Out actor says, “Hi dude,” to Dodger as he bends down to put his hand out for the pup, in an effort to become better acquainted. The dog, in turn, shows his affection for Evans by licking and pawing at his hand repeatedly. Since adopting the Dodger, Evans has sprinkled several adorable posts across his Twitter profile starring his loveable pup. He’s paid tribute to the pet by posting an adorable snap of the duo on International Dog Day in August 2019, and he’s also shared a few videos of Dodger showing off his singing skills. The dog is even featured in the Nanny Diaries star’s Twitter header photo. [jwplayer Zo2zIa1W-zhNYySv2] Evans isn’t the only one to fall in love with Dodger, as fans have also carved out a place for the pup in their hearts. The internet’s interest in the dog nearly caused many to lose it when Evans shared a picture that some thought indicated the pet had passed on. “Really missing this guy right now,” he captioned a Twitter pic of the duo in 2017, where the actor was shown softly smiling as he cuddled up with Dodger. After his post attracted worried responses from fans, the Fantastic Four star clarified his initial statement. “To be clear, he’s alive and well,” Evans wrote. “Just thousands of miles away for the next couple months.” Seth Rogen was among those who freaked out over Evans’ earlier remark, tweeting at the Marvel star: “F--k dude. I was, like, crying.”

The Lightyear voice actor’s connection with his sweet pup even inspired one of his chest tattoos.

“I mean that’s probably one of the purest relationships I have,” Evans said during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in October 2020. “[Getting my tattoo of his name] didn’t take much convincing. I’ll never regret that tattoo. I’ve regretted a few in my life, not that one.”

Credit: Courtesy Chris Evans/Twitter (3)

Chris Evans and His Dog Dodger: A Timeline of Their Pawsome Friendship

Man’s best friend! There is no stronger bond than that of a human and their pup — and Chris Evans and his dog, Dodger, are prime examples of this dynamic. The Avengers star first met his sweet mixed-breed boxer around the time he was filming his 2017’s Gifted. He shared a video of their initial introduction to Twitter in April 2018, in which Evans — who was off-camera — approached the pen where the rescue pup was being held. The Knives Out actor says, “Hi dude,” to Dodger as he bends down to put his hand out for the pup, in an effort to become better acquainted. The dog, in turn, shows his affection for Evans by licking and pawing at his hand repeatedly. Since adopting the Dodger, Evans has sprinkled several adorable posts across his Twitter profile starring his loveable pup. He’s paid tribute to the pet by posting an adorable snap of the duo on International Dog Day in August 2019, and he’s also shared a few videos of Dodger showing off his singing skills. The dog is even featured in the Nanny Diaries star’s Twitter header photo. [jwplayer Zo2zIa1W-zhNYySv2] Evans isn’t the only one to fall in love with Dodger, as fans have also carved out a place for the pup in their hearts. The internet’s interest in the dog nearly caused many to lose it when Evans shared a picture that some thought indicated the pet had passed on. “Really missing this guy right now,” he captioned a Twitter pic of the duo in 2017, where the actor was shown softly smiling as he cuddled up with Dodger. After his post attracted worried responses from fans, the Fantastic Four star clarified his initial statement. “To be clear, he’s alive and well,” Evans wrote. “Just thousands of miles away for the next couple months.” Seth Rogen was among those who freaked out over Evans’ earlier remark, tweeting at the Marvel star: “F--k dude. I was, like, crying.”

The Lightyear voice actor’s connection with his sweet pup even inspired one of his chest tattoos.

“I mean that’s probably one of the purest relationships I have,” Evans said during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in October 2020. “[Getting my tattoo of his name] didn’t take much convincing. I’ll never regret that tattoo. I’ve regretted a few in my life, not that one.”

Credit: Courtesy Chris Evans/Twitter (2)

Love at First Sight

On National Pet Day in 2018, Evans shared a sweet statement about the duo’s first meeting along with an adorable clip. “This is the moment we met. He was trying so hard to stay seated even though he desperately wanted to get out,” he wrote. “I knew right away that he was coming home with me, so I took this video to always remember our first hello. Rescue dogs are the best dogs!!”

Credit: Courtesy Chris Evans/Twitter

A Celebration

Evans honored his pet on International Dog Day in August 2019 by posting a sweet selfie of the pair cozying up together.

Credit: Courtesy Chris Evans/Twitter

A Match Made in Heaven

Evans opted to dress in a way that matched his pup in a December 2018 photo. “Kinda stole Dodger’s color scheme on set today,” he wrote.

Credit: Courtesy Chris Evans/Twitter

A Little Confused?

The Captain America star hilariously trolled Dodger in “extremely rare footage” where he referred to the dog by the name the shelter gave him, Benny — which the pup actually responded to! “He was there for about a month,” he wrote in February 2019 of Dodger’s shelter stay. “I can’t believe no one snagged him sooner! This is our first ‘hangout’ at the shelter.”

Credit: Courtesy Chris Evans/Twitter

Sing It!

In a video from November 2017, Evans chuckled in the background of a clip where Dodger was shown playing with a stuffed lion as it sang, The Tokens’ “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” The pup then proceeded to join in by howling along to the famous track.

Credit: Courtesy Chris Evans/Twitter

Feeling the Love

On Valentine’s Day in 2019, Evans posted an adorable shot that showed him wrapping up Dodger in his arms. “Happy Valentine’s Day from this pair of dysfunctional codependents,” he wrote.

Credit: Courtesy Chris Evans/Twitter

A Reunion

The Snowpiercer star shared the cutest video in September 2017 of what happened when the pair reunited after “10 long weeks,” as Dodger greeted Evans by licking the actor all over his face.

Credit: Courtesy Chris Evans/Twitter

Favorite Toy

Evans shared a pic of his pup to Twitter in November 2019, where Dodger was shown holding onto his stuffed animal. The actor noted that his pal was “reconnecting with his west coast lion.”

Credit: Courtesy Chris Evans/Twitter

Christmas Cutie

Twinning! The Massachusetts native gifted his pup a cream turtleneck sweater for Christmas 2019 that matches the sweater his character wears in Knives Out.

Credit: Courtesy Chris Evans/Twitter

Snuggle Buddy

Dodger snuggled up to Evans on March 23, 2020 for a night in amid quarantine orders. “Homebodies,” the actor captioned the cozy snap.

Credit: Courtesy Chris Evans/Twitter

Hello, It's Me

On April 12, 2020, the Avengers star shared a close-up photo of his best furry friend with a hilarious caption about his new at-home lifestyle restrictions. “I’ve been watching you sleep for the last hour trying to organize my thoughts,” Evans wrote via Twitter, speaking as Dodger. “I’m not sure how to say this so I’m just gonna come right out with it. Why the f--k do we never go to the dog park anymore??? Also wake the hell up, I’m starving.”

Credit: Courtesy Chris Evans/Twitter

No. 1 Fan

“Two seconds later he full-body sneezed directly into my face,” the Before We Go actor wrote alongside two photos of himself and Dodger sharing a sweet embrace and looking longlining into each other’s eyes on April 20, 2020.

Credit: Courtesy of Chris Evans/Twitter

At-Home Groomer

“I assured him I knew what I was doing,” Evans wrote via Twitter on May 4, 2020. “He seemed skeptical at first, but with the help of a few treats, I talked him into it.” The Defending Jacob star quickly admitted that his attempt to cut his dog’s hair while in quarantine “went so wrong, so fast. I guess some things are better left to the professionals. He hasn’t seen a mirror yet. I told him it looks great.”

Credit: Courtesy Chris Evans/Instagram

Cuddle Time

"Just woke up to this pillow hog," the Knives Out star teased in May 2020 alongside an adorable close-up photo of his pup's snout. The sweet snapshot was a hit with Evans' biggest fans, including actress Jaimie Alexander. "That face! 😂🙏🏻😍," she commented.

Credit: Courtesy of Chris Evans/Twitter

Fresh Cut!

The Defending Jacob star showed off Dodger's new "summer surgery haircut" in July 2020 before asking fans to send good vibes to his pup. "Next week he's getting a shiny new hip!" Evans tweeted. "It'll be a long recovery but I have a feeling this champ is gonna cruise."

Credit: Courtesy Chris Evans/Instagram

Furry Little Sidekick

The Knives Out actor shared a photo of Dodger lying on his chest, where he has the pup’s name tattooed. “Dodger lying on DODGER 💙,” he captioned the pic in October 2020.

Credit: YouTube

His Dog Tattoo

"That's probably one of the purest relationships I have, so I'll never regret that tattoo. I’ve regretted a few in my life, but not that one,” Evans told Jimmy Kimmel in October 2020 about his Dodger ink.

Credit: Courtesy of Chris Evans/Instagram

Double Dog Date

Evans sent fans into a frenzy in November 2020 when he and Aly Raisman met up for a puppy playdate. "He's great. He's super nice," the Olympian told Us exclusively in May 2021. "Our dogs have fun together, so it's nice."

Credit: Courtesy Chris Evans/Instagram

Cuddle Buddy

Dodger snuggled between Evans' legs for a July 2021 snap.

Credit: Courtesy Chris Evans/Instagram

Smarty Paws

The Lightyear star bought buttons that allow dogs to give commands, such as "walk" or "treat," and Evans was surprised that Dodger didn't just ask for food.

"After a couple days of training he began connecting the dots," the actor revealed in August 2021 via Instagram. "He’s already made so much progress and I laugh out loud every time I hear him press one. I thought ‘treat’ would be the most used. Turns out it’s ‘play’ and I f--king love that about him."

Credit: Courtesy Chris Evans/Instagram

Set Pup

Evans shared a couple of snaps of Dodger taken by his costar Michelle Dockery while they were on the Defending Jacob set.

Credit: Courtesy Chris Evans/Instagram

Selfie Time

"Twins?" Evans captured a sweet snap of him and his canine side-by-side. 

Credit: Courtesy Chris Evans/Twitter

Dodger Loves His Fans

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I have some amazing fans. I see you. Love you all,” the MCU star tweeted in January 2022 before sharing a snap of his beloved pup snoozing. “He loves you all too :)."

Credit: Courtesy of Chris Evans/Instagram

Travel Companions

The Knives Out star celebrated National Rescue Dog Day in May 2022 with an adorable snap of him driving his car with Dodger resting on his shoulder.

Credit: Courtesy of Chris Evans/Instagram; Disney/Pixar

Striking Similarities

While promoting Disney and Pixar's Lightyear, Evans said he noticed some similarities between his real-life canine and his character's robot feline friend, Sox. 

"When I first saw Sox, I was like, 'Did you base that off of Dodger?' I mean, [they have] similar coloring," he told Access Hollywood in June 2022. "I kind of thought Dodger might of modeled for it."

However, he admitted that Sox has a slightly more extensive resume than his own pup. "Sox is a physicist, an astronaut — and Dodger just sleeps and farts," he told Filipino news outlet 24 Oras. "Dodger is just the most honest, dependable [dog]. Sox is gonna be there when you need him, and in a way, Dodger is the same."

Credit: Matt Baron/Shutterstock

An Unexpected Story

Evans revealed to BuzzFeed during a June 2022 interview that Dodger was about 2 when they first met, which was not the age range the actor intended.

"I always thought when I adopted a dog or rescued a dog, it would be a little puppy. Dodger was a full-grown dog," the Boston native explained. "It wasn't the story I had in my mind, but it ended up being the best decision of my life. I just think a lot of adult dogs and older dogs get overlooked, and that's a shame."

Credit: Courtesy of Jinx

Dodger the Dog Food Model

Evans invested in the dog food brand Jinx after becoming first being a loyal customer. In addition to having a role behind-the-scenes on the business and creative sides, he pulled Dodger in as a model for some promotional shots of the pet products.

"I was thrilled to find Jinx – a food Dodger loves to eat and that I know is safe and healthy for him," Evans said in a July 2022 press release. "I'm excited to come on board and help grow awareness for the company so all dogs can have the highest quality food possible at an accessible price point."

Credit: Courtesy of Jinx

'A Perfect Animal'

“He is everything to me. He’s the most honest, loyal, stoic teacher you could possibly ask for. He’s so reliable. We don’t deserve them, do we? They’re such good creatures. It blows my mind sometimes that they exist," Evans said with a laugh in a July 2022 Forbes interview. "I’ve had different dogs in my life, I’ve known so many, and Dodger just really stands alone. No disrespect to any other dogs, but he’s just really a perfect animal."

Credit: Courtesy of Jinx

Dodger's Roots

The actor did a DNA swab to find out what breed his rescue dog is, and Dodger has pitbull, boxer, labrador and pomeranian ancestry.

Credit: Courtesy of Chris Evans/Instagram

A Style Star

The Boston native joked around in an August 2022 snap of his precious pup sporting a shirt his Gray Man character, Lloyd Hansen, wore in the Netflix drama.

“While filming #thegrayman the wardrobe department accidentally shrunk one of Lloyd’s shirts,” Evans captioned the post, which showed Dodger looking pretty handsome in the getup. “I obviously kept it for one reason.”

Credit: Courtesy of Chris Evans/Instagram

The Best Boy

“Winning the dog lottery 💙,” the Gray Man star captioned an October 2022 video of his pooch, in which he called Dodger a playful, honest and happy dog.

Credit: Courtesy of Chris Evans/Instagram

His Fur Valentine

Dodger made plenty of appearances in Evans' photo tribute to girlfriend Alba Baptista on Valentine's Day 2023. One photo showed the dog and his dad on a hike in the woods.