MAURY COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — The latest installation of the Superman franchise continues to dominate as a summer blockbuster. So we wanted you to know about a previously unknown actor with pretty remarkable local ties to Maury County.
Her name is Sparrow, and her notoriety is now helping others in her similar situation.
Back in 2023, Sparrow, then just a four-year-old dog, came into the care of Maury County Animal Services under a difficult situation. "We were called by police authorities -- there were circumstances we can’t really talk about," said Kim Raffauf, the director of Maury County Animal Services.
Eventually, CASA Transport out of Columbia agreed to take on Sparrow and found her a new forever home with one of their partner agencies. Kim didn't find out any more details on what happened to the 20-pound rescue dog until about a week ago. "I don’t believe this, there’s no way," she remembered saying over the phone.
The update? Life had really taken Sparrow "up, up and away!"
Now, just to clear up some social media confusion, Sparrow did not play Superman's beloved dog Krypto in the film. That dog is actually computer-generated and modeled after director James Gunn's rescue dog. But Sparrow did have another scene-stealing moment.
Sparrow can be seen barking at one of the monsters attacking Metropolis. Right before the monster crushes Sparrow, Superman saves the day and blocks the monster's foot from crashing down. Sparrow continues to bark as Superman urges the dog to get out of the way. "Get! Get out of here," yells Superman in the movie.
Eventually, the caped hero blows the dog out from under the monster's foot. (We're told the scene where Sparrow rolls across the ground from Superman's breath was computer-generated so that no harm was done to the Maury County native.)
The Sparrow Effect
Kim expected Sparrow's appearance to get the shelter a little attention, but she never imagined this. "Our adoptions have been up since that movie came out," she said.
Many animal lovers drove to Maury County just because they heard about Sparrow's story.
So the staff decided to fly headfirst into all of this new publicity. This week, volunteers are doing a photo shoot with some of their current shelter residents with superhero capes tied around their necks. We met Bert, Ozzie, Mel, Cleo, and Morticia — all available along with others for adoption.
Granted, some of the pups have their own form of kryponite. "[Bert] came back because he was chasing the neighbor’s chickens, so no chickens for Bert," said Raffauf with a chuckle. "[Ozzie] does not like kitty cats, so that would be his weakness."
Still, she's confident some lucky families will love having these pups as the newest members of their family. "The great part is sometimes we can’t change their past, but we can change their future," she said.
Did you adopt a dog from Maury County because of Sparrow's story? We'd love to hear from you. You can email me at Chris.Davis@NewsChannel5.com.
Talk about a hand-up that can change lives! This story that highlights Strobel House resident Johnnie Williams will remind you that there are services that can change an entire world for one person. After she found stable housing, she was able to graduate with a medical assistant diploma and a 4.0 GPA. Bravo Johnnie and bravo Strobel House!
- Rebecca Schleicher
