There was Japan's Hachiko and then there is our homegrown version, Red Dog, who, after the release of the movie, became so famous that they renamed the Karratha-Tom Price Road to be known as the Manuwarra Red Dog Highway.
Red Dog (c. 1971 – 21 November 1979) was a Kelpie/cattle dog cross who was well known for his travels through Western Australia's Pilbara region. There is a statue in his memory in Dampier, which is one of the towns to which he often returned. Red Dog is believed to have been born in the town of Paraburdoo in 1971 and had a variety of names to those who knew him, including: Bluey, Tally Ho, and Dog of the Northwest.
Soon after Red's death in 1979, Australian author Nancy Gillespie wrote and compiled anecdotes and poetry written by several people of the Pilbara region for her book "Red Dog" as did Beverly Duckett in her 1993 book "Red Dog: The Pilbara Wanderer."
Red Dog's statue caught the attention of a number of people passing through Dampier, including British author Louis de Bernières - remember "Captain Corelli's Mandolin"? - , who was so inspired that he wrote "Red Dog", which then served as primary source for the movie.
And then came the spin-off documentary, titled "Koko: A Red Dog Story", which explores the life of Koko, who was cast as Red Dog in the film.
The DVD comes out in December. Guess who's placed an order already?
