Hollywood actor David Corenswet might be the star of James Gunn’s Superman but it’s the Man of Steel’s dog — Krypto the Superdog — who is winning hearts and stealing the spotlight.

Following the release of the film on July 11, there has been a spike in dog adoption in the US, with Google searches for “adopt a dog near me” jumping up 513% after the film’s opening weekend, as per a report by The Wrap. The more specific “rescue dog adoption near me” rose by 163%.

Krypto, brought to life on the big screen with the use of CGI, is based on James Gunn’s own rescue dog Ozu, who the director adopted while writing the script for Superman.

While facing difficulties training his pup, Gunn had revealed that he wondered how it would make things worse if Ozu had superpowers in real life.

As per the dog training app Woofz, searches for “adopt a puppy” also increased by 31% and users even searched Krypto’s breed, Schnauzer, specifically, according to news reports.

Searches for “adopt a schnauzer” spiked 299%, as Krypto appears to be a mix between a Terrier mutt and a Schnauzer.

Keeping the hype aside, Woofz’ CEO Natalia Shahmetova noted in a statement that 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,” she said.

Additionally, Warner Bros. teamed up with Best Friends Animal Society to cover pet adoption fees between July 1–10.

However, this isn’t the first time a film directed by James Gunn has led to strides towards animal welfare and awareness against cruelty. PETA had heaped praise on his 2023 film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 for addressing the cruelty inflicted on animals during experiments and tests.