Shelby

From Smallville Wiki

Shelby
Family	Clark Kent (owner)
Powers and Abilities	Temporary metacanine strength and enhanced intelligence
Played By	Bud
Status	Alive

"He's a good dog, dad." - Clark Kent, Krypto

Shelby is Clark Kent's Golden Retriever.

Before he was adopted by the Kents, he belonged to Zack and Josh Greenfield, who work at a veterinary clinic in Smallville. They called him Einstein, because they had enhanced the dog's intelligence and strength with kryptonite. Shelby ran away from them, and was hit by Lois Lane. She brought him to the Kent farm, where Clark discovered the dog's super strength. At first, Clark wanted to call him Skips, but later thought of naming him Krypto, because his origin was cryptic. When Jonathan agreed to keep the dog, Clark and Martha named him Shelby, after a dog that Martha once had as a child. Clark, in particular, felt it was a better name than what Lois had in mind: Clarky (on the grounds that he was totally annoying and she couldn't come within ten feet of him without feeling ill).

When Dr. Hudson inhabited Clark's mind, Shelby's barking at the Martian Manhunter helped Clark come out of the prolonged hallucination.

Shelby no longer has enhanced abilities because the serum that was used wore off after a few days. He remains a fond member of the group at the Kent farm, with even Lois being fond of Shelby in her own way, despite her being allergic to him.

[edit] Appearances

This list is incomplete. Please add any additional appearances

• Krypto - Shelby, then called Einstein, is hit by Lois Lane while she is driving a car. The dog is taken to the Kent Farm, where Jonathan lets Clark keep him and Martha names him Shelby.
• Lucy - Shelby is briefly seen quietly lying on the Kents' dining room floor during breakfast.
• Onyx - (scenes deleted)
• Spirit -
• Commencement - Clark is awakened in a dream by Shelby's barking.
• Arrival - Shelby barks at Lois Lane when she drives to the now destroyed Kent Farm.
• Hidden -
• Solitude - Chloe warms up with Shelby after an unscheduled trip to the Fortress of Solitude.
• Lexmas - Shelby tries to eat a cookie at a Christmas party before Jonathan Kent takes him outside.
• Fanatic - Shelby alerts Martha and Clark that Jonathan has been attacked.
• Lockdown - Shelby is seen laying next to two horses in the barn where Jonathan Kent and Lois Lane are.
• Fragile - When Clark hears Maddie Van Horn talk to Shelby, Clark realizes she can talk, but doesn't.
• Vessel - Shelby is briefly seen at the opening of the episode when the animals act up and a bright light flashes outside.
• Labyrinth - Shelby saves Clark from a hallucination created by Dr. Hudson thanks to his incessant barking.
• Promise - Clark practices proposing to Lana with Shelby.
• Fierce - Shelby is seen in the Kent barn when Clark is fixing a piece of equipment.
• Veritas - Shelby barks at Brainiac who enters the barn and talks to Kara Kent.
• Instinct - Shelby is seen in the Kent kitchen after Clark let him in the house to feed him (which he almost forgot to do) before he supersped to work at the Daily Planet.
• Metallo - Shelby is still being fed by (supposedly absent) Clark at the farmhouse but when a suspicious Lois sees the food bowl full she takes the dog to the Talon. Chloe covers for Clark and brings Shelby back.
• Kandor - Chloe stops by the Kent Farm to feed Shelby, and meets Jor-El instead.

[edit] Notes

• Fans of Smallville frequently wonder why Shelby so rarely appears in scenes set on the Kent Farm.
• Lois repeatedly refers to Shelby as a female rather than a male, first in Stiletto and then again in Metallo

[edit] In the Comics

In the comics, Shelby was the name of one of the dogs Clark Kent grew up with on the Kent farm.

One of the names Lois suggests for the dog is "Skipper", in the original Superboy comics Krypto poses as the Kents' pet dog "Skip".

Krypto the Superdog appears later in Clark's life.