Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinket Smith have four Rottweilers. The dogs’ names are Indo, Gracie, Zhaki, and Tyson. These dogs also received training from Cesar Millan, who is a good friend with Jada and gifted her Indo. Jada took in one of the Rotwiellers from a friend. The other two were gifts to Will from Jay Leno.
Will Smith is an American actor, rapper, and producer. Smith has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards and two Academy Awards, and has won four Grammy Awards. He was first known as a rapper under the stage name “The Fresh Prince”, from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. He was the first person to win the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance in 1989. He then started a successful career in acting in the early 90s, starting with the lead role in the hit sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which aired from 1990 to 1996. After the series ended, Smith began starring in a series of blockbuster Hollywood films from the mid-1990s to today, such as Bad Boys (1995) with Martin Lawrence, Independence Day (1996) with Jeff Goldblum, Men in Black (1997) with Tommy Lee Jones, and Hancock (2008) with Charlize Theron. He won the Oscar for Best Actor for his role in King Richard (2022).
Abbey is the dog who’s famous for costarring with Will Smith in the 2007 film I Am Legend. The German Shepherd played the role of “Sam”, Will Smith’s only companion as one of the only surviving humans after a zombie-like virus outbreak. Will Smith admitted to falling in love with the dog during filming. Their romance actually started before filming, with the pair going on “dates” to get to know each other better. He also admitted to begging to keep him after filming but understood Abbey already had his own loving family. The film’s animal trainer actually found Abbey in a kennel and was able to properly train her for the role in a few weeks.
Will’s co-star and best friend in “I Am Legend” made it to the big screen the old-fashioned way — she was discovered. To say she was a natural, according to Will, is an understatement.
“Abbey started responding to, ‘Rolling!’” Smith recounted. “She would hear it and then go … I was like, ‘Did that dog just respond to the cameraman saying ‘Rolling?’
“When I was little, I was probably 9, and I had a dog that got hit by a car,” Smith explained. “So I was like, ‘That’s it! I’m not doing it. I’m not doing that whole, fall in love with dogs thing no more.’”
Smith and Abbey the German shepherd bonded on set, but first, Will had to court the canine to win her affection.
“I was begging him,” Will said. “I was like, ‘Please let me have Abbey. Please, please, please let me have her.’ But you know, she has her own family now so it was just another one of those fleeting Hollywood romances. One of those set things that just happens and you know, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”
Then she Recalled her Conversations with Cesar
“He would keep reminding me that one of the most important principles was to keep the dogs in their natural state. The biggest mistake we make as pet owners is forgetting dogs were basically born to be in a pack. It’s how they survive. Don’t take away their purpose of living.”
And so a strict social order was formed—with Jada as the leader of the pack.
“I made sure to remember the rules. I had to be in front of the pack when we went out for a walk, and they always had to know who was boss.” The Rottweilers took quickly to the new order. “It’s pampering, in a different way,” Jada says.
“We played a lot with a tennis ball,” she recalls. “The dogs were constantly active. But I took them everywhere. They were my bodyguards, and yet they were the most gentle creatures.” But even a well-motivated dog lover can wear down when the energy of the pet exceeds the energy of the owner. Especially when, in the case of Jada’s Rottweilers, they were not neutered.
“With Rottweilers, it’s either fighting or sex. You have got to keep them exercised, wear them down so that their minds settle down.” Her solution? Treadmills.
“They saved my life,” Jada says. “We had two treadmills installed, and put the dogs on them. They knew the routine almost instantly. Ran for a half hour or so.”
And when they were not running, they were at Jada’s side. “There is not a time during the day when you can let them alone. They constantly had to be with me.”
Jada was so impressed with the results of Cesar’s training methods that she encouraged him to get his own television series, to share his methods with others.
“I knew how he had changed my life,” she says. So she was not surprised to see the show’s success, and was delighted to attend a party celebrating Dog Whisperer’s 100th episode last year. “I always knew that Cesar’s message was unique. He helped me. It’s almost like tapping into your soul.”
And the admiration cuts both ways. As Cesar writes in his book, Cesar’s Way, “I know I can count on Jada. She’s not only one of the most generous people I’ve ever met, she’s also one of the smartest . . . She’s been my mentor, my sister, and another one of my precious guardian angels.” And the actress, Cesar also notes, was not shy about introducing him to her Hollywood friends, who included such heavy hitters as actor Vin Diesel, and directors Michael Bay and Ridley Scott.
Will Smith Dogs: 4 Rottweilers (Indo, Gracie, Zhaki, Tyson)
Smith and Abbey the German shepherd bonded on set, but first, Will had to court the canine to win her affection.
“Hold on, how about this — like the trainer set it up. He was calling it ‘dates’! So I was having a play date with the dog,” Smith laughed.
Will’s co-star and best friend in “I Am Legend” made it to the big screen the old-fashioned way — she was discovered. To say she was a natural, according to Will, is an understatement.
“Abbey started responding to, ‘Rolling!’” Smith recounted. “She would hear it and then go … I was like, ‘Did that dog just respond to the cameraman saying ‘Rolling?’
“When I was little, I was probably 9, and I had a dog that got hit by a car,” Smith explained. “So I was like, ‘That’s it! I’m not doing it. I’m not doing that whole, fall in love with dogs thing no more.’”
But he fell in love with Abbey, even asking her trainer, Steve, if he could keep her.
“I was begging him,” Will said. “I was like, ‘Please let me have Abbey. Please, please, please let me have her.’ But you know, she has her own family now so it was just another one of those fleeting Hollywood romances. One of those set things that just happens and you know, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”