Katy Perry admits she got a puppy in a bid to get over John Mayer.

Katy Perry and John Mayer

Katy Perry and John Mayer

The 'Dark Horse' hitmaker, who recently rekindled her relationship with the singer-songwriter after splitting from him in February 2014 after two years of dating, adopted Butters when she was "going through a breakup," but recently gave custody of the dog to her longtime assistant, Tamara, because she is too busy.

The 30-year-old star said: "I was going through a breakup and I was like, 'I'm going to get a dog!' But honestly, I have to run an empire, and as much as I love animals I don't know if I have the mind capacity to do it."

Despite being spotted on a dinner date with John, 37, earlier this month, the brunette beauty isn't ready to define their romance.

She told Billboard.com: "What I will say is that to have any relationship at this level you have to just be protective and figure out how to navigate it. There is no handbook.

"In all my relationships, I've learned how I have to be more careful and that it's not up for public consumption."

Meanwhile, Katy admits she is very nervous about performing at the Super Bowl on Sunday (01.02.15) and doesn't think she'll be able to compete with Beyoncé's half-time show in 2013.

She said: "She brought so much strength, so much sassiness and just the right amount of sex. She's an icon. Elvis, The Beatles, Michael Jackson - she's in that category. I'm not. She's like five notches above me, and those levels are compounded in difficulty.

"Everyone has been asking me if I'm going to be nervous before the half-time show. I'm like, I'm f**king human. This is the biggest event of my career."