Red Dog (1971 – November 21, 1979) was a friendly kelpie cross who lived his life hitching rides and travelling throughout WA's north before he died in November 1979.
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, Pilbara Wanderer and Dog of the Northwest. Tally Ho was his first name, given to him by his first owner and the one who brought him to Dampier.
The nickname "Red Dog" has been attributed to the red dirt of the Pilbara Region.
A second owner a bus driver, whose work allowed Red Dog to travel via bus around Dampier, Karratha and surrounding districts thus becoming very well known by the locals.
After his second owner died, Red Dog spent a lot of time travelling on his own and was taken in by many members of the community, some who took him on trips as far afield as Perth, Broome, Roebourne, Point Samson & Port Hedland.
Although he had many friends, it is believed that his death in 1979 was caused by poisoning.
Red Dog is buried in an unmarked grave somewhere between Roebourne and Cossack.
reddogwa.com
Red Dog is a West Australian, a lovable friendly red kelpie who found widespread fame as a result of his habit of travelling all over Western Australia, hitching rides over thousands of miles, settling in places for months at a time and adopting new families before heading off again to the next destination and another family - sometimes returning to say hello years later.
While visiting Australia, Louis de Bernieres (the author) heard the legend of Red Dog and decided to do some research on this extraordinary story. After travelling to Western Australia and meeting countless people who'd known and loved Red Dog, Louis decided to spread Red Dog's fame a little further. The result is an utterly charming tale of an amazing dog with places to go and people to see.
Penguin Books Australia, 2020
Rating: PG Production Year: 2011 Duration: 1:25:19
Description: Based on the legendary true story of the Red Dog who united a disparate local community while roaming the Australian outback in search of his long lost master. Directed by Kriv Stenders
Novelist Louis de Bernières was born in London in 1954. He joined the army at 18 but left after spending four months at Sandhurst. After graduating from the Victoria University of Manchester, he took a postgraduate certificate in Education at Leicester Polytechnic and obtained his MA at the University of London.
In 1993, he was selected as one of the 20 'Best of Young British Novelists 2' promotion in Granta magazine. His fourth novel, Corelli's Mandolin, was published in the following year, winning the Commonwealth Writers Prize (Best Book). It was also shortlisted for the Sunday Express Book of the Year. Set on the Greek island of Cephalonia during the Second World War, the novel tells the story of a love affair between the daughter of a local doctor and an Italian soldier. It has become a worldwide bestseller and has now been translated into over 30 languages. A film adaptation of the novel was released in 2001, and the novel has also been adapted for the stage. In 2001, Red Dog was published - a collection of stories inspired by a statue of a dog encountered on a trip to a writers' festival in Australia in 1998.
goodreads.com, 2020
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