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Interest in dog adoptions has soared nationally and locally following the release of the “Superman” summer blockbuster.
”Superman,” directed by James Gunn, was released July 8 and introduced a new relationship between the superhero, played by actor David Corenswet, and Krypto, the red-caped schnauzer and terrier mutt mix, with a affinity for being somewhat unruly.
‘Superman’ leads to super searches
The American Kennel Club nonprofit saw a significant change in breed inquiries as well as increased website traffic during the opening weekend of “Superman.”
Brandi Munden, a spokesperson for the American Kennel Club, said the site saw specific searches related to the new movie such as “what kind of dog is Krypto,” and “adopting a schnauzer.”
Munden was unable to provide statistics on exactly how many times people conducted searches related to the “Superman” movie.
Days following the release of “Superman,” Google reported a rise in searches with terms like “adoptable dogs near me” and “Superman dog adoption.”
Google Trends
Super sidekicks
Local shelters reported increased overall dog adoption interest as well.
Dan Cody, executive director of Human Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh, said shelters have had days where they are “slammed” with inquiries since the movie’s release. However, they have not seen an increase in actual adoptions.
“It is a huge commitment,” Cody said as a possible reason that not all of expressed interest were turning into new homes for dogs.
Paws Across Pittsburgh Animal Rescue, a nonprofit foster-based animal rescue that works to rehabilitate and re-home abused and unwanted dogs, said they saw a significant uptick in adoptions over the past couple of weeks.
Jackie Armour, president and founder of Paws Across Pittsburgh, said adoption numbers generally decrease during summer because many people are on vacation. However, the release of “Superman” has kept the organization busy. Paws Across Pittsburgh has had 65 dog adoptions so far in July, with 15 of them taking place over the past week. For the entire month of July, 2024 Paws Across Pittsburgh had a total of 54 dogs adopted.
Armour said that Paws Across Pittsburgh loves anytime pets are heavily featured in films because it helps bring extra eyes to their page.
“It reaches a bigger audience,” she said.
Heart of Glass Animal Rescue, located in Pittsburgh’s South Side, had a good month in terms of dog adoptions as well.
Jamie Montesano, vice president of Heart of Glass, said that while she cannot draw a direct line between the movie and adoption increases she believes the movie got people interested.
So far this month, Heart of Glass has had two adult dogs and four puppies find their homes, Montesano said.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals does not currently have an updated report on adoption statistics for the month of July.
“Any film that features animals may inspire its viewers to acquire a pet of their own, and we encourage anyone looking to do so to consider one of the thousands of animals waiting to be adopted from shelters and rescue organizations across the country,” said Maureen Linehan, a spokesperson for American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Megan Trotter is a TribLive staff writer. She can be reached at mtrotter@triblive.com.
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