The Legend of Red Dog Essay

In a rural country town called Dampier the legend of Red Dog was born. Affectionately known as the Pilbara wanderer, Red Dog travelled around Australia’s west coast in search of his mate and this is how it all began.

Sitting in the middle of the road waiting for a ride hoping that someone would pick him up, Red Dog was discovered by a married couple on their way to a new life in a mining town called Dampier. They picked him up because he tricked them into believing that he was lost.

Red glides his way past them and hops up onto the front seat of the car. They then drive him to a new destination.

A mate for everyone, Red Dog became part of the Dampier community. He inspires them by being there for people and listening to their stories. Red acts like he has rights and is evident when John the new worker in town, Red’s true master, is driving the bus with Red and the other Dampier miner’s.

Nancy one of two women that live in Dampier hops on the bus and tries to sit next to Red Dog, He growls and tries to push her off, but she won’t have it and tells him to “be a gentleman and move over”, and so he does.

John and Nancy fall hopelessly in love, and one day go to see a movie. Red breaks out from the Knitting Palace to go find John and Nancy and after finding them he is taken back to the Knitting Palace where he stays for the rest of the night. Meanwhile John and Nancy head down to the beach and are getting their toes wet and that is when John tells Nancy about Lord Nelson, the shark that swims around that area and how he had tried to take a bite out of a stubborn miner.

One morning one of the miners, Jocko wasn’t feeling so good about himself so he decided to go swimming in the water when everyone was having a BBQ on the beach. He went deeper and deeper and when Red Dog spots something was wrong he rushes out with a juicy piece of steak to save Jocko from Lord Nelson. Red Dog paddled out to Jocko where he could see Lord Nelson. Shouting and panicking all the people on the beach get Jockos attention to “throw the steak”. Red had saved Jocko.

Red Cat, arch nemesis of Red Dog is the most evil of cats, waging war upon any dog that sets foot in the property that he lives in. This just happens to be where Nancy lives. Fight after fight, Red Dog finally wins in the most epic of all fights and scares off Red Cat only to follow and chase him up an abandoned tree. He eventually comes down and Red Dog doesn’t chase him but befriends him and a great friendship was created.

Tragedy strikes when John is killed. He had swerved off the road and crashed into the ground where he laid to die. Found in a ditch by close friends they mourn his death at his funerals and in the meantime everyone had forgotten about Red Dog. He waited and waited. Red sat on the porch of his late masters house until one day he just stopped and up he got and started looking around the West Coast for John. He went from town to town. Red looked everywhere. It was even told that he crossed over an ocean to another country and then he turned around and headed back not knowing what happened to his master.

With all endings there are new beginnings. Red Dog dies and Nancy has fallen in love with another man and they went and bought another Kelpie/cattle dog where they made their life. The people from Dampier have never forgotten Red Dog. They decided to erect a statue in his name and honor of this truly amazing dog. Red Dog will never be forgotten.