KOKO the Kelpie – the star of the movie Red Dog, will meet his working class cousins at the Pedigree Working Dog Australian Kelpie Muster at Casterton in Victoria on June 11 and 12.
In a fitting parallel, the six-year-old red Kelpie who in the movie played the dog that united communities in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, will be the star attraction at the Casterton community event where people celebrate the working Kelpie every year in June.
Red Dog is based on a true story about a Kelpie that was adopted by Pilbara communities in Western Australia in the 1970s after his owner died.
Koko’s owner and producer of the movie, Nelson Woss, said the dog will be on a float in the Kelpie Country Street Parade in Casterton on Saturday and there would probably be an area where well-wishers could meet the dog.
“Red Dog is a story about a community coming together; it’s about finding your home, loyalty and friendship.
“So we are coming (to Casterton) in that spirit,” he said.
Mr Woss will accompany the dog to Casterton with the dog’s trainer Luke Hura. He is keen to learn more about Casterton’s links to the historical Kelpie story.
Mr Woss had Dobermans and an Irish Setter as a child, but said Koko was a fabulous companion.
“I describe him as a fabulous dog – he is a true Kelpie, he loves spending time with you.
“I love him very much and I couldn’t let him go after the movie, so I adopted him.”
Mr Woss said he has 43 Facebook friends, but Koko had 1700 friends “and they all talk to each other”.
“He will talk to you if you become his friend.”
Koko will fly from Perth with Mr Woss to get to Casterton.
“What is interesting about Koko is that he has probably travelled more than Red Dog,” Mr Woss said.
“He has been to Canberra where they did a special parliamentary screening of the movie and he is the only dog apart from the bomb-sniffing dogs that has actually been allowed inside Parliament House.”
Koko was bred by show Kelpie breeder Carol Hobday and was trained by Mr Hura for over a two-year period before filming began. Mr Woss said Koko was born in Melbourne and had travelled to Perth, the Pilbara in Western Australia, Canberra and Sydney on movie duties. Red Dog is a Woss Group Film Production and will be released nationally by Roadshow Films on August 11 after a country tour.
See the Red Dog screen test on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Su66nlzKC0
Koko’s Facebook link is http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000146182583
The official Red Dog movie web site is http://www.reddogmovie.com/
The Casterton muster also features the auction of 58 working dogs from breeders in Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales and South Australia on June 12.
