Dog Adoption Searches Skyrocket Thanks To Fan Favorite Krypto After 'Superman' Opening Weekend

Superman is supposed to the be big hero of his own story, but in the most recent Superman, directed by James Gunn and starring David Corenswet, the real hero that stole everyone's hearts is Krypto, Superman's foster dog.

People came out of the movie jazzed up about its themes, but also apparently looking to adopt a Krypto of their own sooner rather than later. Google searches for "adopt a dog near me" spiked immediately after the movie's release and have yet to come down.

Krypto, who is not the best trained dog, but certainly the sweetest, is Superman's companion throughout the film, even some battle scenes. (The dog is fine. The dog does not die. The dog is a hero.) Krypto is a schnauzer, and people were even specifically searching for that breed when looking to adopt.

The dog, who is modeled after Gunn's own dog Ozu, is actually completely CGI and not a real one at all, but Ozu is, and was adopted by Gunn during the beginning stages of film creation. Gunn has remarked that he had difficulty training Ozu, and wondered how difficult that would be if Ozu had superpowers. Hence, Krypto.

Gunn also received praise from PETA for his other superhero movie Guardians of the Galaxy, which the organization said brought into focus the cruelties of animal testing.

The film production was not unaware of the impact they might have on dog adoptions, even going so far as to sponsor adoption fees in the Best Friends Animal Society shelters in the days leading up to the film, eventually leading to 454 adoptions in that time frame.

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First, everyone agrees that Krypto is the real star.

Folks were happy that the movie is having a secondary, good impact.

Others focused on possibilities for a different type of movie, if we're centering pets again.

Many commenters, however, were worried about long-term implications of impulsive dog adoptions.

Adopting a pet is heroic, but only if you follow through.

Shelter dogs can be found widely, but one online resource is the ASPCA website.