Red Dog (c. 197121 November 1979) was a
kelpie
A kelpie, or water kelpie (Scottish Gaelic: ''Each-Uisge''), is a shape-shifting spirit inhabiting lochs in Scottish folklore. It is usually described as a black horse-like creature, able to adopt human form. Some accounts state that the kelpie ...
/
cattle dog
The Australian Cattle Dog (ACD), or simply Cattle Dog, is a breed of herding dog originally developed in Australia for droving cattle over long distances across rough terrain. This breed is a medium-sized, short-coated dog that occurs in two m ...
cross that was well known for his travels through
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
's vast
Pilbara
The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a glo ...
region. Red Dog had a series of owners and lengthy periods travelling on his own, essentially becoming a beloved friend and mascot of the greater Pilbara community. A statue was installed in his memory in
Dampier, one of the towns to which he often returned.
He is frequently referred to as a "red kelpie"
or a "red cloud kelpie".
Story
Red Dog was believed to have been born in the town of
Paraburdoo, Western Australia
Paraburdoo is a mining town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The region is served by Paraburdoo Airport, which is situated from the town.
Etymology
The name of the town comes from an Aboriginal word said to mean "feathered meat", whi ...
in 1971.
Red Dog was called by a variety of names by those who knew him, including Bluey, Tally Ho, and Dog of the Northwest.
Tally Ho was his first name, given to him by Colin Cummings, who is believed to have been his first owner, and brought him to Dampier. The nickname "Red Dog" has been attributed to the red dirt of the Pilbara region (although "red dog" is a common nickname for red kelpies and heelers, much in the same way as "blue dog" or "Bluey" is a common nickname for the
Australian cattle dog
The Australian Cattle Dog (ACD), or simply Cattle Dog, is a breed of herding dog originally developed in Australia for droving cattle over long distances across rough terrain. This breed is a medium-sized, short-coated dog that occurs in two m ...
).
His second owner was John Stazzonelli, a bus driver with
Hamersley Iron
Pilbara Iron is a wholly owned subsidiary of the multinational Rio Tinto Group, that manages assets for Hamersley Iron Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Rio Tinto, and Robe River Iron Associates, an unincorporated joint venture between Rio ...
, who took the dog with him in his bus. With Stazzonelli, Red Dog travelled as far as
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
,
Broome,
Roebourne,
Point Samson
Point or points may refer to:
Places
* Point, Lewis, a peninsula in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland
* Point, Texas, a city in Rains County, Texas, United States
* Point, the NE tip and a ferry terminal of Lismore, Inner Hebrides, Scotland
* Point ...
and
Port Hedland
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...
.
Following Stazzonelli's death in 1975, Red Dog spent a lot of time travelling on his own. He was also taken in by many members of the community, and a
veterinarian
A veterinarian (vet), also known as a veterinary surgeon or veterinary physician, is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, vet ...
who treated him. Each time he visited the vet, it was with a new owner.
Red was made a member of the Dampier Salts Sport and Social Club and the
Transport Workers' Union, and was also given a bank account with the
Bank of New South Wales
The Bank of New South Wales (BNSW), also known commonly as The Wales, was the first bank in Australia, being established in Sydney in 1817 and situated on Broadway, New South Wales, Broadway. During the 19th century, the bank opened branches ...
, which was said to have used him as a mascot, with the slogan "If Red banks at the Wales, then you can too."
Although Red Dog was well liked, it is believed that he was deliberately poisoned in 1979 with
strychnine
Strychnine (, , US chiefly ) is a highly toxic, colorless, bitter, crystalline alkaloid used as a pesticide, particularly for killing small vertebrates such as birds and rodents. Strychnine, when inhaled, swallowed, or absorbed through the eye ...
.
Red Dog was buried, by veterinarian Rick Fenny, in a secret unmarked grave around
Roebourne, Western Australia
Roebourne is a town in Western Australia's Pilbara region. In Ngarluma language, Roebourne is called Yirramagardu (Ieramagadu). It is 35 km from Karratha, 202 km from Port Hedland and 1,563 km from Perth, the state's capital. It is loc ...
. Fenny's book ''Pip – My first red kelpie'' talks about his time with Red Dog.
Legacy
Soon after Red's death, Australian author
Nancy Gillespie
Nancy Margaret Gillespie (born 10 March 1948) is a Western Australian resident and author.
Life
She was born in Taihape, New Zealand, and moved to the Pilbara in the 1970s.
She wrote the original Red Dog book, titled '' Red Dog''.
This book is ...
wrote and compiled anecdotes and poetry written by several people of the Pilbara region for her 1983 book ''
Red Dog'', as did Beverly Duckett in her 1993 book, ''Red Dog: the Pilbara Wanderer''.
Red Dog's story and statue have caught the attention of a number of people passing through Dampier, including
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
author
An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states:
"''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...
Louis de Bernières
Louis de Bernières (born 8 December 1954) is an English novelist. He is known for his 1994 historical war novel ''Captain Corelli's Mandolin''. In 1993 de Bernières was selected as one of the "20 Best of Young British Novelists", part of a pr ...
. He wrote a book loosely based on Red's legend, called ''
Red Dog''.
A
four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...
club has been named in his honour.
De Bernieres' novel was adapted as a critically acclaimed
feature film
A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
about Red. It was made in Australia and released in August 2011. Based on a screenplay by Daniel Taplitz,
it is directed by
Kriv Stenders
Kriv Stenders is an Australian writer, producer and director best known for the film '' Red Dog'' and the thriller film ''Kill Me Three Times''.
He started off directing music videos for many famous Australian bands, including Go Betweens, M ...
. The title role was played by
Koko. In 2016 a prequel was released, ''
Red Dog: True Blue'', which imagines an origin story for Red Dog.
Louis de Bernières also wrote a novel called ''Blue Dog'' to go with the prequel film.
See also
*
List of individual dogs
This is a list of individual famous actual dogs; for famous dogs from fiction, see List of fictional dogs.
Actors
Advertising
* Axelrod, Basset Hound, appeared in commercials and print ads for Flying "A" Service Station advertisements in ...
*
Togo
Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...
, sled dog
*
Balto
Balto (1919 – March 14, 1933) was a Siberian Husky and sled dog belonging to musher and breeder Leonhard Seppala. He achieved fame when he reportedly led a team of sled dogs driven by Gunnar Kaasen on the final leg of the 1925 serum run to Nom ...
, sled dog
*
Bob the Railway Dog
Bob the Railway Dog (also known as "Terowie, South Australia, Terowie Bob") is part of South Australian Railways folklore. He travelled the South Australian Railways system in the latter part of the 19th century, and was known widely to railwa ...
, an Australian precursor
*
Bobbie the Wonder Dog
Bobbie the Wonder Dog (1921–1927) was a dog who covered on his own to return home to Silverton, Oregon, United States, after he was lost while his owners were visiting family in Wolcott, Indiana. Ripley's estimated the journey may have been ...
, journey home dog
*
Dog on the Tuckerbox
The ''Dog on the Tuckerbox'' is an Australian historical monument and tourist attraction, located at Snake Gully, approximately five miles (eight kilometres) from Gundagai, New South Wales as described in the song of the same name.In another v ...
*
Hachikō
was a Japanese Akita dog remembered for his remarkable loyalty to his owner, Hidesaburō Ueno, for whom he continued to wait for over nine years following Ueno's death.
Hachikō was born on November 10, 1923, at a farm near the city of Ōdate, ...
, Japanese faithful dog
*
Owney Owney may refer to:
;People:
* Owney Madden (1891–1965) New York gangster
* Owney Geoghegan (1840–1885) boxer
;Places in Ireland:
* Owney and Arra, County Tipperary barony
* Owneybeg, List of baronies of Ireland#Limerick, County Limerick baron ...
, postal dog
*
Rags
Rag, rags, RAG or The Rag may refer to:
Common uses
* Rag, a piece of old cloth
* Rags, tattered clothes
* Rag (newspaper), a publication engaging in tabloid journalism
* Rag paper, or cotton paper
Arts and entertainment Film
* ''Rags'' (1915 ...
, doughboy dog
*
Sergeant Stubby
Sergeant Stubby (1916 – March 16, 1926) was a dog and the unofficial mascot of the 102nd Infantry Regiment (United States) and was assigned to the 26th (Yankee) Division in World War I. He served for 18 months and participated in 17 battles o ...
, WWI war dog
*
Just Nuisance, Great Dane and able seaman
References
External links
{{commons category
*http://www.reddogwa.com
Individual dogs
Dog monuments
Pilbara
1971 animal births
1979 animal deaths
Australian folklore
Animal sculptures in Australia