# What breed of dog is Krypto? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comic-strips\ **Created:** [April 5, 2024, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-breed-of-dog-is-krypto/999874 "2024-04-05T13:16:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2024, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-breed-of-dog-is-krypto/999874/1 "2024-04-05T13:16:39Z")
Krypto–Superman’s dog. [LINK](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.movienewsnet.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F05%2FKrypto.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=f8e8d68d74a36112fb24efd6daec38dc90a4f39761b68bafc90dd316758ec4ce&ipo=images) Yes, I know–he’s alien. But not alien like John Carter’s Martian “dog” Woola. [WOOLA LINK](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Ffc07.deviantart.net%2Ffs70%2Ff%2F2012%2F079%2F9%2Fc%2Fjohn_carter___woola_concept_art_by_michaelkutsche-d4tdeu5.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=9bacf358bf6bb80ad1ad74bb48797980471b00a4f2805697f15a3b92a64b29f3&ipo=images) He looks very–doggy. So, _what kind_ of dog is Krypto? ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2024, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-breed-of-dog-is-krypto/999874/2 "2024-04-05T14:26:14Z")
I think he’s a Beag-El. . Or that’s his Kryptonian name, being a member of the family, as it were… ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2024, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-breed-of-dog-is-krypto/999874/3 "2024-04-05T15:13:37Z")
Or a Spani-El? Joking aside: > **[Krypto: How Superman’s Best Friend Got to Earth](https://www.cbr.com/krypto-earth-superman-dc/)** > > Krypto is getting ready to make his big screen debut, which begs the question: how did Superman's best friend come to Earth? > In the comics, Krypto is typically depicted as a Labrador Retriever, though his breed is never explicitly stated and tends to change between artists. At points, he has even been depicted as wolf-like. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2024, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-breed-of-dog-is-krypto/999874/4 "2024-04-05T15:36:19Z")
His shape definitely looks Lab-ish, but I’ve never seen a Lab in that color. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2024, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-breed-of-dog-is-krypto/999874/5 "2024-04-05T15:47:57Z")
I always remember him as a all-white Dalmatian. But that goes back to the early 60s - I have no idea how he has been portrayed since. Time for Niven to write a follow-up: Dog of Steel, Bitch of Kleenex. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2024, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-breed-of-dog-is-krypto/999874/6 "2024-04-05T16:06:23Z")
[He looks like a cretan to me!](https://www.petpaw.com.au/breeds/cretan-hound/) ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2024, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-breed-of-dog-is-krypto/999874/7 "2024-04-05T18:09:21Z")
His [Wiki page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krypto) suggests Labrador, Dalmation, or White Shepherd. The comics I read when I was a kid always depicted him with a very short coat, shorter than most Labs or Shepherds, and all-white, unlike most Dalmatians. The Cretan does look close to the way a lot of artists drew him, although I think Cretans are a bit larger than Krypto was usually depicted. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2024, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-breed-of-dog-is-krypto/999874/8 "2024-04-05T18:16:21Z")
Super Hound. Definitely in the working group. Well muscled. White. (Decidedly not Dalmatian, they have pokey-dots in their breed standard) Thin tapered tail Medium to large size Special skills are preferred. Allergies to kryptonite. Very rare breed. Like, really rare. I mean it. You’ll not find one of your own. Ever. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2024, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-breed-of-dog-is-krypto/999874/9 "2024-04-05T18:23:35Z")
I dunno… That pic of a Cretan hound has half-cocked ears, compared to Krypto’s floppy ears, and a darker face. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2024, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-breed-of-dog-is-krypto/999874/10 "2024-04-05T18:25:52Z")
The movie definitely gives me the impression of a Dalmatian… an alien Dalmatian from the planet Krypton. A Kryptatian? A Kryptonian? 😆 ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2024, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-breed-of-dog-is-krypto/999874/11 "2024-04-05T20:55:42Z")
Suppose you were a dog breeder, trying to develop a breed resembling the dog in the comics. What would you name it? Kryptonian Hound? Kryptonian Shepherd? Überhund? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2024, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-breed-of-dog-is-krypto/999874/12 "2024-04-05T21:24:25Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > So, _what kind_ of dog is Krypto? He’s a _very good boy._ A good dog. One might even say… super. That’s what kind of dog he is. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2024, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-breed-of-dog-is-krypto/999874/13 "2024-04-06T01:29:05Z")
You know, there’s no law that Krypto has to look like a purebred. He could be a Kryptonian version of a Dalmatian/Labrador/Cretan with a coat of a color that evolved to a slightly different color due to Krypton’s red sun. Or he could be an unacknowledged offspring of Scooby-Doo. [![](https://www.coloringpages101.com/coloring-pages/Animated-Series/Krypto-the-Superdog/Sitting-Krypto.webp) ](https://www.coloringpages101.com/coloring-pages/Animated-Series/Krypto-the-Superdog/Sitting-Krypto.webp) ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2024, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-breed-of-dog-is-krypto/999874/14 "2024-04-07T01:32:12Z")
Krypto’s first appearance was in Adventure Comics #210. At that time his face was very different from later versions. He looked more like a 1930s version of a bull terrier. [![](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/marvel_dc/images/8/8b/Adventure_Comics_Vol_1_210.jpg) ](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/marvel_dc/images/8/8b/Adventure_Comics_Vol_1_210.jpg) Compare that to Petey, the Staffordshire terrier from the old Our Gang comedies [![](https://media.gettyimages.com/id/530730618/photo/pete-the-dog-from-the-our-gang-comedies.jpg?s=2048x2048&w=gi&k=20&c=Pk_6bJ_9dB5b7dIyEHxXjzT9K56Tzbq2v3EUYPPLpzo=) ](https://media.gettyimages.com/id/530730618/photo/pete-the-dog-from-the-our-gang-comedies.jpg?s=2048x2048&w=gi&k=20&c=Pk_6bJ_9dB5b7dIyEHxXjzT9K56Tzbq2v3EUYPPLpzo=) ---
**Author:** ![Lare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2024, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-breed-of-dog-is-krypto/999874/15 "2024-04-07T01:40:03Z")
Guys, you do remember he’s from another planet, right? Earth breeds may not be relevant. The KKC (Krypton Kennel Club, of course) probably has a whole roster of breeds we know nothing about including one that, as he ages, looks like a bull terrier, a wolf, a very-short-haired lab, etc. So, enough of this dogger-el. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2024, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-breed-of-dog-is-krypto/999874/16 "2024-04-07T06:59:16Z")
I once spotted an albino Dalmatian. It was the least I could do.