Dave Bautista was missing from the list of Hollywood celebrities who celebrated the reinstatement of James Gunn as the director of the third "Guardians of the Galaxy" film and the actor said it was because he lost his pet dog the same day.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Bautista, who plays Drax the Destroyer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, said he had planned something for the moment but put it on hold after his dog succumbed to cancer.

"I've known for a while, and I had this idea that I wanted to do it as a celebration video. And it wasn't to try to rub it in anybody's faces and open up that can of worms, I just wanted, it was a celebration thing.

"But on the day that it was announced, it was the same day that I lost one of my dogs to cancer. We finally had to say goodbye to her and it just, I was just so crushed. I still am. This was just a week ago and I was so crushed," the 50-year-old actor said.

Bautista said he is yet to make a comeback on the social media in the aftermath of his dog's death.

"I haven't really been back on my social media because, even though it's like a big deal to me, I just don't feel like celebrating anything. I'm just not in that mood. Like my dogs are like my children, and my baby girl, she fought cancer for two years. And we lost her.

"And that's why I didn't have a public celebration. But if you know how hard I fought for him, that is how much him being back means to me. And you can imagine. It's a huge statement," he added.

Bautista was among the first to come out in support of Gunn when he was fired by Marvel Studios' parent company Disney last August after his old, offensive tweets resurfaced on social media.

Last month, Disney reversed its decision and rehired Gunn as the director of the third "Guardians of the Galaxy".

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