5th Dampier Icon - Our Mangiest Mutt

The story of Red Dog has been told many times, some stories romanticised others tell of a cranky, farting, steak stealing mongrel, but to us the important tale of Red Dog is the Pilbara story. There is a piece of Red in everyone one who lives, or has lived, up here in the red dirt.

Tally Ho was born in Paraburdoo in 1971, a true Australian breed of Kelpie-cattle dog cross. From the outset Tally was a roamer. Nosey and, by all accounts, had the constitution of an ox and a wind issue of equal portion. Tally Ho was born into the family of Col Cumming. The family made the transfer to Dampier when he was the ripe old age of 18 months. Because of said wind issues, Tally travelled to Dampier, not in the family car but in an open trailer, arriving covered in red dirt from head to toe with only his eyeballs visible - Red Dog seemed a more fitting title!  

Soon after arrival Red made the Single Men’s Quarter his residence of choice, with Hamersley Iron buses and trains his preferred mode of transport. Red was famous for always turning up when the barbie was sparked up, whether it was on the Dampier foreshore, Point Samson’s back beach, Tom Price’s pub or Broome’s Cable beach – no distance seemed too far. Red even graced the City of Perth a few times, but like most of the Nor-Westers it wasn’t to his liking and he couldn’t wait to get home.

Red had many an ‘owner’ but is said to only have attached to one human in earnest – John Stazzonelli, who sadly passed after an accident in 1975. As the ‘People’s Dog‘ vet bills always got paid and even a pound breakout was recorded, only to have Red return to the dog catcher but hop up into his cabin not the back with the actual dogs…

So Red Dog is reflected in us Pilbaraites – whether we are born here or not it’s hard to leave.  The Pilbara family we create here is loyal, true, honest, genuine, hard working and quite simply fun to be part of.

Whether we’re mangy mutts or pampered pooches one thing is for sure, we’re all equal once we get red dirt in our veins.

Statue of the Red Dpg, created by Merri Forrest 1980.