The release of the new Superman film has reportedly seen an increase in people hoping to adopt a dog, thanks to the Man of Steel’s four-legged friend Krypto, who possesses many of the same powers as the DC Comics hero.
According to the dog training app Woofz, Google searches for “adopt a dog near me” reportedly skyrocketed by 513 per cent during Superman’s opening weekend. In addition, searches for “rescue dog adoption near me” also rose by 163 per cent, while “adopt a puppy” jumped up by 31 per cent.
People have also looked up how to adopt Krypto’s specific breed, with searches for “adopt a schnauzer” spiking at around 299 per cent. The Wrap reports that Krypto is a mix between a Terrier mutt and a Schnauzer.
Caveating the good news, Woofz CEO Natalia Shahmetova said in a statement: “Adoption is a real commitment. The hype will fade, but your dog will stay, so make sure you’re ready to give them the time, care, and training they need and deserve.”
Although Krypto, a dog Superman adopted from his home planet of Krypton, is only a CGI creation, his design is actually based on director James Gunn’s own rescue dog, Ozu. Expanding on the decision to include the character in the film, Gunn wrote on X/Twitter in October: “Krypto arrives on screens in Superman this summer. Krypto was inspired by our dog Ozu, who we adopted shortly after I started writing Superman.”
“Ozu, who came from a hoarding situation in a backyard with 60 other dogs and never knew human beings, was problematic to say the least,” added the 58-year-old. “He immediately came in and destroyed our home, our shoes, our furniture – he even ate my laptop. It took a long time before he would even let us touch him. I remember thinking, ‘Gosh, how difficult would life be if Ozu had superpowers?’ – and thus Krypto came into the script and changed the shape of the story as Ozu was changing my life.”
Warner Bros, which released Superman, also teamed up with the animal charity Best Friends for the first 10 days of July to cover pet adoption fees during that period. In that time, 454 pets were welcomed into new homes across the United States.
Meanwhile, the blockbuster, which stars David Corenswet as the iconic hero, has already exceeded expectations at the box office, having raked in $96.5m (£72.12m), surpassing early estimates of $90m (£67m).
