From: Superboy #87 (March 1961)
On the planet Mogar, the countries of Lanthia and (the unfortunately-named Rollops) are in the middle of a space race, and Lanthia means to send a dog to their moon with a flag draped around her next like a cape to claim their moon. It's a one-way trip, which is a little distressing for Kolli, the showdog selected for this mission.
At the same time, Krypto is growing board either dodging or ramming into asteroids (his only two activities out in space), and he notices Kolli heading for destruction. He intervenes, and we find out alien dogs (and perhaps all dogs) have the ability to mentally communicate. Also, that Krypto is a bit of a pig.
"Toots", really? Where is he getting this from? Not chaste Clark Kent, surely. After taking care of Mogarans who want to recapture Kolli for her space secrets, Krypto asks her if she'd like powers like his so they can be together and have space puppies and whatever. She says yes, and it just so happens he's been to the planet Zena, where he once saw a certain pool give an animal super-powers. She accepts. #Consent
And it DOES give her the full suite of Kryptonian powers. Somehow. But when she bumps into him...
Oh damn, she's Delilah to his Samson! Now SHE'S got to protect him from lightning-snorting dragons and whatever else comes their way. So long as he's close to her, the "emanations" will emasculate him something fierce. There's only one thing for it.
What is this? A Dave Sim script?! Oh Female Void, why you gotta snuff a brother's Light? (I realize this is a very obscure joke if you didn't read the crazy parts of Sim's Cerebus.) We are promised that they will meet again in an "early issue of Superboy", whatever that means, but it would be almost 6 years before Kolli graced the comics page again, and it would merely be a reprint of this story. Sad emoticon!
Meanwhile, in the past... The same issue includes an adventure called "The Scarlet Jungle of Krypton" that features Krypto as a puppy.
The story reveals that Jor-El dabbled with the concept of teleportation to get his people off his doomed world, and that toddler Kal-El, of course sent himself cross-planet while playing with his dad's equipment. The scene above is important, because Kal uses the same Viewmaster projector gun to get out of trouble, and it's Krypto's image he uses!
Krypto is also the means by which Kal returns home, because Silver Age conveniences, that's why.
And so once again, we realize that without Krypto, there wouldn't be a Man of Steel. The dream would have died long ago, in some crazy SF jungle.
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