The highly-anticipated third instalment in the John Wick franchise – John Wick 3: Parabellum – is set for release in one month. 

And fans of the series will be delighted to know that the bond is stronger than ever between Keanu Reeves’ titular hero and his on-screen pooch, as demonstrated in a brand new teaser clip.

The clip sees John and said dog – the same unnamed pit bull he saved at the end of John Wick and who was then featured in John Wick 2 – as they climb into the back of a cab in the midst of a rainstorm in New York.

The destination: the New York Public Library – for reasons yet to be discovered. 

But there’s a change of plan when John decides suddenly he needs to get out – leaving his canine companion behind, with the driver.

‘Change of plan,’ John says, holding up a gold coin, used by his insider network.

He instructs the driver to take his pet to The Continental and leave him with the concierge.

Knowing who he is, the driver takes the coin and replies: ‘Yes sir, Mr Wick.’

John gives the dag a loving stroke, tells him he’s a good dog, and leaves.

Fans of the franchise will no doubt wonder what this means for the hit man’s status within the assassin network, given that at the end of John Wick 2 he was banned from every Continental service.

Surely, if this was still the case, his dog would not be welcome there either.

Behind-the-scenes photos made their way on to Instagram during production, revealing the real name of the dog was ChaCha – and a female. 

The plot for the third chapter in the trilogy sees John on the run, after killing Santino D’Antonio, with a $14 million global contract on him, triggered at the end of the sequel.

The story sees him attempting to flee New York City with the help of Sofia – played by Halle Berry, a new addition to the franchise.

The movie’s subtitle comes from a 4th century Roman military quote – ‘Si vis pacem, para bellum’. Translated, this means, ‘If you want peace, prepare for war.’