Koko: A Red Dog Story (2019) - full transcript

-=Sync&Corrected by Misiek666=-

I'm shaking.

No!

- Is that visible?

- No, don't be nervous.

- I'm shaking.

Lock it. Mark.

My first impression of him was

that he was... he was difficult.

I'll do my best. I might have

to pause and then go into it.

And that is fine.

We can do that.

OK.

You know, he was very driven.

Incredibly focused.

He was a brat.

Just like a naughty child,

I think.

He was a star.

And when stars enter a room,

they suck out the oxygen.

He was a very good improviser.

He was very funny, sometimes.

Koko had it all.

What do you

feel like his legacy was?

Koko's legacy?

Depends on

who you're talking to.

He was a very special dog.

He was one in a million.

Fire.

The wheel.

The silicon chip.

All very impressive.

But the single greatest thing

to happen to the human race

was the evolution

of the domestic dog,

Canis lupus familiaris,

a direct descendant

of the grey wolf.

Before they became man's best

friend roughly 36,000 years ago,

wolves figured out that

if they didn't threaten humans,

then humans would do

all the hard work for them.

In return for

food and protection,

the wolves would help

humans find their way.

And so, over time,

an unlikely kinship formed

and the wolf evolved into

the tame domestic dog.

Humans and dogs

would share a special bond

side by side,

for millennia to come.

Mankind and cat, however...

..well, that's an entirely

different history lesson.

Over the centuries,

these loyal hounds

became our most trusted

companions and our protectors.

They find us when we're lost,

lead us when we're blind

and comfort us in

our times of greatest need.

In return, we shelter them,

feed them

and dress them up

in ridiculous costumes.

Today, there are

more variants of dog

than any other living mammal,

with best estimates placing the

total number of dogs on Earth

at approximately 560 million.

But every now and then,

a truly extraordinary,

selfless, heroic,

one-in-560-million dog

comes along.

A dog capable of

inspirational feats

that lift the human spirit.

A dog we build shrines to.

A dog with its own unique tale.

From Japan,

Hachiko, the loyal Akita,

who spent nine long years

waiting at a train station

for the return of his master

who had tragically passed.

From the United States,

Bobbie the Wonder Dog,

a Scotch collie who journeyed

thousands of miles

in order to find his way home.

And from Australia, Red Dog,

the red cloud kelpie who

wandered the outback and beyond

in search of his missing master.

But there was once a dog who

walked a very different path.

A dog with

a very different story,

whose face was seen

around the world,

whose name was heard

far and wide

and who, frankly, did

very little to deserve it.

His name...

..was Koko.

You see, Koko was a very

different type of dog.

He was a star -

a very famous star -

and he loved it.

Koko was some of the best talent

I have ever interviewed

in my 30 years.

He was a dog

that took to people.

He just loved

to be around people.

It's amazing - as much

recognition as anyone

you normally see on

the front page of a newspaper.

What actor would I

compare him to?

He was the best-paid dog

in Australia.

I gave him little meaty bits.

Koko's a massive...!

He had great charisma,

great soul,

great depth inside of him.

I mean, Koko meant everything.

It takes a special dog

to connect with so many people.

Koko was the first to do

everything out of the litter.

He was the first one

to open his eyes

and get up on his little legs.

He was pretty bossy over

the rest of the litter.

He would just walk

over the top of them.

Didn't matter.

I've got a present for you.

Look at that.

It was earned. He always

knew that he was clever.

You look gorgeous, Koko.

Or should I say, Smart n Bossy.

What made him special is

he wanted to be with you.

He wanted to listen to you.

He wanted to absorb what

was happening around him.

That was just the way he was.

30 years, I've had kelpies.

A kelpie is a dog that's

developed in Australia

for Australian conditions.

They can do anything.

He's one

of the most important workers

in Australia's great

woollen industry -

the kelpie, who works big mobs

of sheep over wide, open areas.

Kelpies are sheepdogs,

basically.

They're quite intensely

selected for their brains

and their working ability

and ease of training.

To me, they are

the intelligentsia

of the dog world.

A typical kelpie

who wanted to please.

You look at a kelpie

and say 'jump'.

The first thing a kelpie

would say is "How high?"

Farmers who've bred them

are pretty non-forgiving.

So they were selecting

the brightest, hardest-working,

involved dog that they can find.

They've got to have the ability

to read the mind of the owner

and I think that's developed

to a large degree in kelpies.

- -Well done, Johnny Boy.

I've heard different stories

about the origin of the kelpie.

I've certainly heard there's

a fair bit of dingo in it.

The dingo isn't actually a dog.

It's a unique species

called Canis dingo,

a contentious detail

amongst specialists.

It's said that 3-4%

of kelpie genes

come from this wild

Australian mammal.

Allegedly.

This mix created a new breed -

smart, intuitive animals

which were perfected

for life in the outback.

The curiosity that was

in that dog was wonderful

and his ability and his will

to learn was exceptional.

He's pretty good, you know.

He was like a sponge.

He does all his own stunts too.

And loved jewellery.

He used to chew jewellery

all the time.

If I had a watch band on,

he'd chew the watch band.

If you had a button on a shirt,

he'd find it.

I see great things

for you, little one.

You're gonna be a star!

Koko had a lot of personality.

It was natural to him.

That was just the way he was.

I always took my puppies

down to the bakery -

best bakery there is

in Victoria -

and they would socialise

with everyone in the street.

- Hi, Louise.

- Hey, Carol.

Just gotta look at everything,

don't you?

I used to take him down there

so that they got used to

different noises

so that the temperament

was nice and even.

Stay.

Good boy, Koko.

Well-socialised dogs

are a pleasure.

Oh, there you are! Ladies.

Oh, these scones smell

even better than usual.

- Oh, you've got the...

- I succumbed.

They're so good!

He just adored people.

Very affectionate.

Didn't matter who it was,

he loved everybody.

Carol, he's adorable.

Are you ready for the show

this year, Koko?

Don't worry, little one.

You're a shoo-in!

He'll be the winner for sure.

You think he's gonna beat out

old Gwendolyn this year?

There she is.

Gwendolyn Myers was

the reigning champion

of the local dog show circuit

with 200 wins under her belt.

Her prize show dog was Beatrice.

She was the only thing

standing between Koko

and victory.

Well, she's gonna be

a tough one to beat this year.

Do you think you stand a chance?

What do you think, Koko?

Koko just wanted

to please Carol,

so if that meant entering this

show and becoming a winner,

well, that's what

he'd have to do.

And with that, Koko entered

into the cutthroat world

of professional show dogging.

Dog shows have been around for

the better part of a century.

Every blue-blooded canine

from the conventional

to the exotic

competing for dogdom's top spot

and that includes

the Chinese crested hairless.

The dog show really is an

ultimate elimination contest.

Dogs get knocked out at

various stages of competition

and at the end of the day,

you've ended up with

your best seven dogs.

I don't think

people have realised

that it's a fabulous hobby.

It's a really great hobby

to show dogs.

♪ You ain't ever seen an animal

quite like that... ♪

Every dog show contestant

is vying for the top prize -

the coveted Best in Show.

It's the supreme thing,

it's why we all show dogs -

to win Best in Show.

The typical dog show is

made up of three parts.

Athletics...

..modelling...

..and musical canine freestyle.

Yep. Dancing with your dog.

It's a thing.

Anyway...

The dog's brain at a dog show...

If you're lucky, it loves it

and that's where it becomes

a pleasure to show a dog,

because the dog thoroughly

enjoys going to a dog show

and exhibiting.

If they don't like it,

you can tell straightaway.

The truth was Koko

really enjoyed show dogging.

Next up, Klassikelp

Smart n Bossy.

And at first,

he was really good at it.

He was the ant's pants.

You know, he always thought

that he was the top dog.

The rules of what make

a good show dog

are a little complicated.

The guidelines

are a lot complicated.

We want moderate-size

ears, a width of skull.

The skull and the foreface

approximately equal.

We want a length of neck

that is neither

too short nor too long.

Good forequarters,

strong forequarters.

Two-thirds rib cage,

one-third loin.

Straight hindquarters.

And we want a lovely shape

over the croup

down to the tail set

so that the tail is carried

down and out, gently.

It's important that

the tail stays down.

Koko had it all.

He was a lovely, lovely dog.

I think he knew he was special

all the way through.

I really do.

You know who doesn't think

you're special, Koko?

Beatrice, the current

grand champion.

And her owner, Gwendolyn Myers.

A show dog, to become

an Australian champion,

what they need to do is

they get 100 points.

And those points are earned

by being either the best bitch,

or the best dog, of your breed.

In the context of show dogging,

'bitch' is a technical term

meaning 'female dog'

and not a naughty word.

When Koko had his big win,

he won Best Exhibit in Group

in the working dog group

at Kyneton.

I couldn't believe.

I was over the moon.

You get one point

for every dog you beat.

If you are lucky enough to get

a Best Exhibit in Group,

then that's 25 points,

and they go towards

your 100 points

for an Australian champion.

And our new champion is

Klassikelp Smart n Bossy!

Koko got his championship

when he was 11 months old.

He was a young dog.

That was mind-blowing.

That was really good.

It's just that Koko decided

that he was...

He was going to be the stud

of all time!

- ♪ What do we tell 'em, boys? ♪

♪ We can't be beaten... ♪

Oh!

Hello?

I had a phone call from a lady

who wanted to use

a kelpie at stud.

And that's where

we all came undone.

I said I had a couple of males,

but I had a young male

that she could use.

So she used him at stud

and he had eight

beautiful babies.

They were gorgeous puppies.

One became

an international athlete.

One became the face of

a successful dog food brand.

One went on to a prestigious

career in search and rescue.

And this one is no longer

allowed to sleep on the couch.

Over a period of

the next month or two,

Koko became, um...

What would you say? Arrogant.

When we took him

to the show ring,

he thought every chick

in the paddock was his.

He became full of himself.

And up went the head

and up went the tail and...

..he strutted.

He just became a 16-year-old kid

that can't think clearly.

He started to show poorly,

because of his mental attitude

at that time.

For the tail to be up,

he has what we call

a flat croup,

which is the back end of

the dog, where the tail is.

The croup is not correct.

But it's something that would

ruin the balance in the dog.

The way Koko held his tail

I believe was his attitude.

He should never have

carried it that high.

It's unreal that he had the

ability to carry it that high.

But he did.

If they don't match up what

we want in the show ring,

that's not the dog's fault.

We didn't pick very well when

we actually chose that dog.

So we decided we would pull him

from the show ring for a while

and let his brain

mature a little bit.

We've had a few pets

over the years.

♪ I'm tired of

the city life... ♪

Our dogs are a part of us.

If we keep a dog, then

it never leaves our place.

♪ I should stay

♪ But I've got to

get my sun... ♪

They're all family.

Four-legged members

of the family.

♪ Ain't nothing you can say

♪ Snake eyes on

a pair of dice... ♪

Koko!

- ♪ And we got to go today... ♪

- There you go!

♪ Take me to the April sun

in Cuba

♪ Oh-oh-oh... ♪

They stayed for life.

And Koko would have stayed

if history hadn't have

changed everything.

♪ So right... ♪

It's Red Dog.

Born Paraburdoo.

He died in Roebourne,

22 November 1979.

And he roamed the Pilbara

and beyond.

And, yeah, it's erected on

behalf of his many friends

by a mate who took him

for his last ride.

So, yeah, just my little tribute

to the old fella.

♪ Mailman came this morning

♪ Brought a message by... ♪

I was involved with him

all the time I was here,

until he died.

Red Dog was a mate of mine

and I was one of

many mates of his.

♪ Sorry that I... ♪

And by all accounts he was,

you know, quite a unique animal.

He was adopted by

the miners as a mascot.

They said he had

his own bank account.

He was part of a union as well.

A wanderer and a drifter,

the legendary larrikin Red Dog

formed an expansive family

throughout the Pilbara

made up of miners,

local residents

and diverse community members

whose lives he intersected with

on his search for

his lost master.

Yeah, there was a lot of single

guys there in those days.

They were lonely,

and the thought that they'd

have a dog that came and went

probably appealed to them.

Yeah, we knew him -

like most people up here

that have been up here

as long as we've been up here.

He'd stay the night, and then

next day, you'd wake up,

he'd be gone,

you wouldn't see him

for six months.

He was a good dog

but he stunk, because

he'd never had a bath.

Some people didn't like him.

He was pretty flea-ridden

at times.

The collar that

I still have that he wore

had on it 'Red Dog'

and in brackets 'Blue'.

Think it's the old

Australian expression.

Anyone who's got red hair

is called 'Blue'.

Because he had a really

close attachment to this area,

I believe he's still out there,

wandering around.

This dog is

a centrepoint for town

and a centrepoint

for a lot of tourists.

Then, of course,

the story gives everybody

a reason to come to Dampier.

Red Dog's story was told and

retold over and over again

and eventually became an

international best-selling book

by this guy.

It was fairly remarkable -

a dog that was so independent.

Temperamentally, he was

rather more like a cat,

and yet treated everybody

as an equal.

Acted as though it had

certain inalienable rights,

like the right to stop a car.

I don't know... I've never heard

of any other dog like that.

Like a lot of bestsellers,

someone wanted

to turn it into a movie.

'Red Dog' is

a story about stories.

This guy.

It's really actually not

a story about Red Dog.

It's really a story

about the people

that Red Dog encounters in

his journeys and in his life.

And I thought

that was the genius

of Louis de Bernières's book

and of Dan Taplitz's screenplay.

I read it and went,

"Ooh, this is it."

Red Dog had to be a very

specific kind of kelpie

that was around at that time.

And kelpies are actually trained

in show situations

to have their tail down.

It was very important -

the iconic image, the iconic

silhouette of Red Dog

is the dog running

with its tail up.

We have to find a dog whose

tail goes up. That is a given.

So the casting of the dog

was absolutely critical,

which is why we spent

so much time

trying to find the right dog.

Probably took about 18 months.

Who uses paper maps anymore?

How old is this?

Kriv drove up to Dunolly, which

is two hours from the airport.

Well, depends on how you drive.

Yes?

Carol Hobday?

Oh!

- You must be the film director.

- Right!

- Is it 'Kreeve'?

- 'Kriv'.

No-one ever gets it right.

Oh!

Oh, well,

let's make it official.

We're here for 'Red Dog'

and, uh...

Do you have any kelpies?

And she said, "Yeah, I've got

a whole backyard full of them."

Well, great! Um...

- Can I see them?

- Oh, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!

Would you like a cuppa?

I'll pop the kettle on.

- Love one, Carol.

- Terrific.

Do you like scones?

I've been baking.

Scones? Scones and puppies?

You're an angel, Carol.

- Come on. Come on in.

- Rightio.

She had, you know,

the kennels back there

and we went out in the kennels,

and dogs barking everywhere.

And she pointed out Koko.

And I remember she took him

out into the backyard.

He just was the dog.

It was incredible.

He had the iconic Red Dog shape,

the tail was up

and I looked into his face

and his eyes just

connected with mine.

And he had that

incredible spark.

You look for that magic

behind the eyes, that alchemy

that, you know, the lens

and the actor has.

And some dogs have it,

some dogs don't.

His face used to light up

and his face would come up

with all these expressions.

And you'd think, "A dog can't

look like that." But he did.

99% of directing is casting.

If you haven't cast

the film right,

there's no amount of direction

you can do to save yourself.

So, rolling.

OK, Koko, I'd just like to

try a couple of expressions.

You know, just wanna sort of

just see where we can take them.

Now, Koko, try

that little snarl.

Ooh, the snarl's great.

Pff! Fantastic.

Let's try a really

concentrated look

where you're really

concentrating.

Good. Now why don't you try

the confused look?

Great. Try it the other way.

Actually, do it like you did

the first time.

You are Red Dog.

It's great, you know?

Ah, jeez, there's

one final thing

I just wanna talk to you about.

I know you're aware of it,

but look,

we're gonna have to dye you red.

But, you know, the film

is called 'Red Dog'

and you've gotta be red.

There are ugly dogs and

there are handsome dogs.

Koko was a handsome kelpie.

Which brings me in

a roundabout way to say...

Look, I think that we have

found our Red Dog.

What do you think

about that, Koko?

Len!

Len, they wanna

have him in the movie!

Who?

Koko!

Oh! Hold on,

I'll just go get him.

Anyway, you must be a dog lover?

Yes.

Yeah, look - basically I had to

lie to get the gig, you know?

I'm actually allergic to dogs.

How many have you got?

Three.

What breed?

Um, they are...

So I'm in the kitchen. You know,

she's just made a cup of tea.

And I turn around to her

and I say, "Look,

"can we buy Koko?"

And she looked at me and said...

Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no.

I don't sell my adult dogs

at all.

They stay home

and they're our pets.

And I realised, "OK,

this could go either way."

"But..."

I could lend him to you.

Carol!

I could kiss you!

I won't. I won't!

Yeah, nah, couldn't find him!

Thank you, Carol.

I promise you that

this is the best decision

that you or Koko will make

in your entire life.

And Koko got into the van,

'cause he was used to just

jumping into a van.

That was his life.

That's what he did.

And I just looked and I

thought, "Oh, that's my baby!"

He was my baby. He was

the youngest dog that I had.

That's... That's my b...

That's my baby!

Thank you, everyone.

That's been...

You better do a bloody good job.

Yep.

That was what we thought.

I cried all the way home.

- 'Bye.

- 'Bye!

♪ Am I ever gonna

see your face again?

♪ Am I ever gonna

see your face again? ♪

♪ Without you near me... ♪

You are going to be

a big star, Koko.

Yes, your name up in lights,

you know?

With Lassie, Benji,

Rin Tin Tin, Milo, Otis.

One of them. One was a cat.

- Or Kamir.

Oh, he's our lead dog.

Yeah, he's the...

He's the top dog.

You'll be slightly under Kamir.

What, you didn't think

you'd get the lead role

that easily, did you?

No, no. You see, it takes more

than one dog to make a movie.

There were four Benjis...

..and 11 Lassies.

Filming 'Red Dog' - well,

that would be no different.

I'd actually worked with

a dog called Kamir.

Beautiful dog, but there were

a couple of issues with Kamir.

Stay. Good boy, Kamir.

No! Not 'Come here'.

Go back. Back!

Oh, why'd you name a dog

'Kamir'?

That was slightly awkward

sometimes.

Great performer, strange name.

I mean, your tail, fantastic.

His face is where

the money is, though.

I'm talking to a dog.

♪ Am I ever gonna... ♪

'Red Dog' had three dogs -

Koko, Kamir,

the film's leading dog,

and Old Red.

He didn't do much.

He just needed to look old.

But he did prove that you can

teach an old dog new tricks.

They can do anything.

Their ability

is probably restricted only by

the ability of the person

to train them.

Koko, stay.

No! Koko, stay! Koko, back.

No, Koko! Cut! Go back.

It was a pretty... pretty

intense regime.

We basically broke the film

down into these lists.

Checklists, there's schedules

as to when the dog has to

be able to do this by

and so on and so forth.

So it was a pretty intense

period for Koko.

There was a lot of

jumping through hoops,

a lot of playing dead,

coming forward.

You know, just getting him

really salty.

Getting him really up to speed.

And then the tricks

would become more complex.

Push, push, push, push, push,

push! Push! Good boy.

And that took a good

sort of four months

to get him up and running

and ready for the camera.

Koko was finally ready

to hit the big screen

and Kriv had become

very close to the stars

who would help him tell

his story to the world.

♪ Am I ever gonna

see your face again? ♪

Yeah, well, they say, "Never

work with animals and children."

And you know what?

They're right.

It's a nightmare.

Do you want an antihistamine?

Should be great.

Yeah, yeah.

But Kriv's allergies would be

the least of his problems.

♪ Working hard

All day, all night

♪ Oh, come gather round,

y'all... ♪

It was probably the hardest

few weeks of my life.

Koko had never seen

a film set before

but it certainly didn't seem

that much different

to a dog show.

I'm travelling to set now.

Of course with the dogs!

Seeing as that's all

I do now, is walk dogs.

Some people gave him scratches,

others gave him treats.

But Koko, he just wanted

to meet everyone.

Oh, sorry, sorry.

- That's OK!

- Mind of his own.

- So you walk dogs now?

Yeah, yeah, it's what I do, is

just walk these beautiful dogs.

You know, that and keeping

the show on the road.

- That's debatable.

- Well, thanks, yeah, great.

Hey, you've got a bit of...

- Will!

- I've gotta go anyway. Sorry.

See you around.

Months of Kriv's hard work

was about to pay off...

..provided he could

impress his boss.

I'd be lying to say

that 'Red Dog' was

an easy shoot.

It wasn't.

Right from the beginning,

it was tough.

We didn't have enough money.

We didn't have a lead actor.

You name it, we went through it.

Nelson, meet your

two leads, huh?

I mean, they're both

playing the same dog,

but they're the dynamic duo.

You get what I mean, anyway.

What do you think?

Mmm.

Hey, June?

It was my responsibility

to find an actor.

It was Kriv's responsibility

to find the dogs.

Kriv had actually delivered.

No, you can tell him

we've found a...

Hey, get down.

No, no, not you.

And we were really

cutting it fine.

What?

Then who else... No.

Hey, I'm sure he will

get to like you.

He just needs to

get to know you.

Yeah?

OK.

Alright, let's find make-up

and get you two dyed, huh?

♪ I've been working hard

♪ All day, all night. ♪

Cut! Brilliant.

The dye test.

We'd been shooting

all that week,

just shooting actors -

shooting non-animal stuff,

getting a lot of that

out of the way.

And I remember

turning up on set.

And I called it Black Friday.

It was a Tuesday,

but it was Black Friday.

And I just sensed

something wasn't right.

Gary.

And people wouldn't

look at me in the eye.

Uh...

We're making a film called

'Red Dog'

and the dog's gotta be red,

and our dogs are brown.

The real Red Dog was red

because he lived in the Pilbara

and was covered in red dust,

but kelpies,

especially show kelpies,

are bred to be chocolate brown.

And we thought

it'd be relatively easy

to dye the dogs red, but...

..somehow that was not the case.

And I looked at my first,

and I'm going,

"How'd the dye test go?"

Let's walk and talk.

Now, I don't want you

to overreact.

I just had this

really sick feeling.

Is that Kamir?

Do you think that's

gonna come out?

Nope.

And I looked at everyone

and no-one would

look me in the eye.

It was probably one of the

worst moments I've ever had.

We had to make a film

that was called 'Red Dog'.

And the dog was

nothing at all red!

So bad news is this does kind of

bugger with our schedule.

Good news, we've still got Koko.

So what you see right here,

this is the new red colour.

What we need to do now

is put another coat on

and that colour will come

through like a Pilbara red.

Well, at least you're

the right colour now.

Mmm, very red.

Yeah, Pilbara red.

- Yeah. Yeah.

- Mmm.

- Kamir looks great.

- No, no, that's Koko.

Yes. Yeah, he's our man.

He's our dog, I mean.

He's the top dog.

I'd bought, you know, crates

full of antihistamines

and just stocked myself up.

- Are you allergic to something?

- No.

Yes. Yup, it's, um...

..my shampoo.

It's got eucalyptus

and patchouli in it.

Anyway, the kids give it to me.

I should just throw it out,

but I don't want to

break their hearts.

- Wasn't there two dogs?

- No.

Only one. Only ever one dog.

Whoa! What is that?

That's a stray.

Yeah, that's a stray.

Anyway, woof! Out you go!

You've gotta bark.

Shows them who's boss.

I was suffering terribly

from the hay fever.

- Are you sure you're alright?

- Yeah.

- Are you alright?

- What?

I found another terrific actor.

- Oh, jeez.

Shhh.

Hi, June, how are you?

He's dropping out of the movie.

What? He did what? What?

Ah... OK.

Well, we just bought him

the motorbike he wanted.

Who else is available?

I was just trying

to keep it together.

He takes a bit of

getting used to.

Ready to shine?

You can act, right?

Talking to a dog.

Come on.

We were all stressed out.

I was fighting with the DOP.

No, no, no, no, no, Koko!

Koko, get back.

Koko wasn't working.

No! No, Koko!

Cut!

Koko!

I was fighting with Nelson.

I think Koko was picking up

on the tension,

because we hadn't

found an actor yet.

The stress was affecting him.

He was distracted.

He would walk away.

Literally, we'd be in a take

and he'd walk away.

No, no, no, no, no, Koko!

Come back here!

There were many shots

he just wouldn't do.

Wouldn't have a bar of.

As we were going along,

I could see Kriv getting

more and more uncomfortable.

Kriv was very, very stressed.

You could feel that the crew

knew that something

wasn't right.

It was really, really tough.

It was a really tough

couple of weeks.

I was stressed.

It's not easy making a film.

Yeah, he's not paying attention.

Can someone just grab Koko?

We were setting up

for a close-up

when he had to eat the dog food

from the bowl.

I took him aside. I said,

"Look." I said, "Kriv.

"This is our last chance

to pull the film together."

If this didn't work,

it was game over for us.

OK. Oops!

Don't worry. That's for me.

They're for me, because of you.

I'm guzzling down

20 antihistamines a day

and it's not good for you.

No, this is...

Look, Koko, Koko, Koko, Koko,

sit. Sit. Sit, please.

Apparently I was talking to Koko

as if he was a human.

Now, in this scene, I'm going

to put some food in here, OK?

I want you to eat it and then

look up at the camera.

Can you do that? Not lick...

Oh, that's not gonna...

You know, I was really,

at this point,

you know, kind of

at breaking point.

If you can't get this shot,

we're in a lot of trouble.

See that guy?

You're being ridiculous.

I have a signed contract.

He's gonna be here...

If you can't get this scene,

then he will be

very angry with you

and very angry with me

because of you.

Listen to me. You watch him

get on the plane.

You watch the door close.

This is our one chance, mate.

You are literally

the only dog we've got left.

I'm gonna take that as a...

..as a yes.

Good, OK. Uh-uh!

Good, good, good.

Stay. Food. OK.

- Go!

- Alright, ready. We ready?

We are ready.

Are you ready?

OK, sound. Speed.

And we rolled.

Called action.

- Go!

- -Eat! Eat! Eat!

Koko ate, looked up at camera...

..and it was like...

5.4 seconds!

Yes!

We all cheered.

It was just like...

"We're doing this! This is

going to happen. This is real."

Good boy.

And it was just

a magical moment.

If we just concentrate

on the task at hand,

we'll get there.

And that was the way

I decided to move forward.

I apologised to everyone

and went, "Look,

"this is how we're

gonna make the movie.

"We've just gotta enjoy it.

"Relax and be there

in the moment with Koko."

A very strange few days,

working without knowing

who the actor was gonna be.

We were pointing

the camera in one direction

and when we turned it towards

where our star should be,

there was no actor.

And then he came out at lunch

and slips a bit of paper

across the table.

And it's Josh Lucas.

I go, "Great! He'll do!"

It was one of those miraculous

last-second telephone calls

from an agent who says,

"I've found this script

and I know you love dogs

"and you should read it and

tell me what you think tonight,

"because maybe tomorrow

you'll go to Australia."

I actually really like working

with animals and children.

I'm a dog lover -

I have a great dog,

great relationship with

the dog that I rescued.

And that was part of it,

is my dog, you know,

has deeply impacted

my soul as a person

and he's one of

my closest friends.

Koko!

Koko's a brilliant actor.

He's got magic,

that dog, you know?

Like all great actors, you know,

there's something just

magical inside of them.

When Josh arrived

and we had our John

and we saw

the immediate connection

that Josh had with Koko

and how well

they worked together

and how Koko was just becoming

Red Dog in front of us...

♪ Come on, squeeze it

♪ Like you do

♪ Uh-huh

♪ Oh, baby... ♪

I knew then we were on our way.

Or so he thought.

Someone came up to me and said,

"There's a problem."

The dog who had been performing

perfectly for the past two weeks

was suddenly

just not performing.

We were shooting

an exterior at the caravan.

It's Koko, just standing there

waiting for John

to return, looking out.

And we were rolling

and suddenly

Koko just walks away.

And I follow him

where he's walking

and it's Carol.

Nelson asked me if I'd like to

go onto the set and have a look.

She was visiting. We were

thrilled to have her there.

You're all red!

And... it was like,

"Oh, right.

"What do we do now?

"Seriously, what do we do now?"

Cutting there!

Five minutes, everyone.

Carol!

She was excited to see him

and he was excited to see her,

but Carol's presence was clearly

having an effect on Koko.

I just think he put down tools.

- Let's just go this way.

- Alright!

Let these people do the film.

It was an awkward moment

where I had to tell her

not to turn up to set.

So it's great to see you, Carol.

Oh, you too, Kriv.

Hey, now, while we just get

this shot finished up...

And I could see that Kriv

wasn't very impressed

with... with the dog

running away from the set.

And Kriv said,

"Would you like to stand

"over there

a little bit further?"

So I did.

- Here?

- A bit further.

Is this OK?

A little bit further.

- How's this?

- A little bit further!

And Kriv said, "Would you like

to go and have coffee?"

Oh, hi, Nelson!

Hey. Hey.

You wanna... You gonna go

and finish this scene?

Oh, yeah, yeah. OK.

And Koko was right back into it.

Go on. Go with Kriv.

Good boy.

A kelpie loves people

but they adore their person.

Back to it, everyone!

Not the person

that owns the dog.

It's the dog that

owns the person.

And the person Koko

increasingly wanted to own

didn't act with him,

didn't direct him,

didn't even feed him.

It was this guy.

Alright, I'll take you

for a walk. Come on.

Come on.

We had some

really challenging things

that we had to shoot,

and this dog just pulled it off.

It was unbelievable.

You know, there were certain

things even the trainer said,

"I'm not sure

he's gonna get this."

And then he nailed it.

It's keeping us

on our toes as actors

because when we come on set

and we're about to do a scene,

you know, depending on

what Koko does,

it kind of determines the scene,

not the way you thought

it was gonna go.

Nelson and that dog

went everywhere together.

I mean, everywhere.

The growing bond

between Koko and Nelson

was becoming

impossible to ignore.

As people started

to see the magic on screen,

we realised that we had

something pretty terrific.

I was focused on

making the film.

I didn't expect to form

a relationship with the dog.

Red Dog!

Little Koko, who plays Red Dog,

is like a little

love bug, you know?

He loves a love, he loves a pat.

He's really a very gentle,

very sweet little boy.

The best part of

working with animals is

there's this alchemy

that happens

with the camera and with you

and with the scene

and it's just a beautiful thing.

I'd say he's

pretty much like Bryan Brown.

He's sort of

quintessentially Australian

and won't move too far

out of their comfort zone.

Well, you know,

I am a cat person.

My favourite day on set

was actually the last day

of shooting

where we took

this just one camera

and there was just me,

a camera guy and Koko

and we got in a car and we

just drove around and played

and they just filmed us playing.

It was, I think, the day

that Koko was the happiest.

Koko meant everything.

I mean, without Koko,

it's like not having Brando

in 'Apocalypse Now'.

Or not having E.T. in 'E.T'.

It was that critical.

You know, Koko was the movie.

And without Koko, the movie

wouldn't be what it is.

- Cut!

That, folks, is a picture wrap

on 'Red Dog'!

Good work, everyone.

Thank you.

Go love that dog

and pat his head.

There was always

an agreement with Carol

that whilst I owned him for

the duration of the filming,

that if he wanted to go back

to Carol, he could go back.

- Hi!

- Hello.

Oh, come on! Here!

- Koko! He's still all red.

- Oh, it'll grow out.

Oh, you've had quite a trip,

haven't you, Koko?

Come inside and

have a cup of tea.

Oh, I can't - I've actually

gotta drive all the way back

and get on the next plane.

- Really? Oh.

- Yeah.

- Oh!

- Yeah.

- But let's talk next week.

- That'd be great.

Yeah.

Alright.

You look after yourself, eh?

Yeah, good boy.

Good boy.

- Here.

- Thank you.

Thanks. Alright.

- Thanks, Nelson.

- We'll talk, very soon.

OK. 'Bye now.

Come on, Koko.

Come on, Koko!

I would have loved to have

brought him back home

and had him at home.

But when I saw him with Nelson,

I knew that he was

already there.

He'd already found

what Koko needed.

Go on then.

That's when I said, you know,

that Len and I had been talking

and...

We've decided to

gift him to you.

As a pet.

You're kidding?

And you're paying

for that window.

No, I'm serious.

You're paying for the window.

OK.

♪ I love the colourful clothes

she wears

♪ And the way

the sunlight plays upon... ♪

Doing the work that I do,

every day's kind of different.

He'd often wake me up,

and he slept

at the end of the bed.

G'day, mate.

I would give him a feed.

♪ I'm pickin' up

good vibrations... ♪

And then we might go for

a walk, go down the beach.

Good boy!

Good boy.

Oh, what a good boy!

♪ Excitations... ♪

And then the day would begin.

We'd just sort of

share the day together.

He was my shadow.

I remember sort of some weeks

after we'd wrapped,

for the first time,

I took him for a walk.

It was before anyone

had seen the film.

The film hadn't come out,

so no-one knew the film

and no-one knew Koko.

And I took him down

the pedestrian mall

in the Perth CBD.

All of a sudden,

he just changed. He was on.

But we weren't actually

doing any commands,

or we weren't doing

any routines.

And what I realised was

he thought all the people

walking in front of him

were extras.

He thought it was a big scene!

As I said, I took him

everywhere that I went.

Yep, spaghetti, spaghetti.

Yeah, we're gonna have spaghetti

and then we're gonna

have carrot.

Where is the bloody sp...

Hey! Thanks, mate.

Good boy.

Hey.

It was originally set

to come out in Easter

and then...

I'm pretty sure that

it was the first 'Thor'.

And the distributor got

very, very nervous.

You can't put

the dog up against Thor.

Wow.

The distributor had

delayed the release.

That's, like, five months away.

Well, we don't know what to do.

Is Josh still gonna

be available?

He wasn't.

I wanted to come back

to do this press tour

and there were some limitations

in terms of my schedule,

which was really

what stopped it.

I was actually really

looking forward to it.

You can't promote a film

without a star.

No, well, find out

who else is available.

Daddy, I'm hungry. Daddy!

- Spaghetti!

- Yeah, it's coming!

Some spaghetti.

- Well, who then? Who?

- No. No, that's not...

Mate, you...

I think I'm having an idea.

Road trip?

So we decided to take

the dog on the road.

I didn't have high expectations.

It was an unusual film.

The star was a dog.

We did Queensland first

and we would go to

regional radio stations

and do interviews.

I have got

Koko, the undeniable star

of the brand-new movie

'Red Dog'.

You reckon it's

a good movie, mate?

And Koko was just killing it.

And then that night,

we would do the screening.

Thank you for coming

and welcome to the world

premiere of 'Red Dog'.

Have a great night.

We love you. Thank you.

Then we'd bring the dog out

and it would just take it

over the top.

I'm sad not to be there

right now with the crew

and sort of celebrating

the opening of this movie.

So the dog's going on tour?

Koko is doing a tour, yeah.

I must say I think

that's probably a wiser call

from a production standpoint

because people are just

gonna love that dog.

Just gotta love him, don't you?

He's just gorgeous.

I just kind of had a broad grin.

- He just had personality.

- I loved the dog.

It was everywhere.

There was posters

in the main street.

Everyone was so proud of the

fact that Koko was from Dunolly.

Thousands of Eagles fans

are snapping up tickets

and heading east for

Saturday's finals showdown

with Collingwood.

And the team is hoping

some movie-star good luck

will rub off.

West Coast Eagles

winning the Premiership.

They didn't.

Now to WA's newest celebrity,

Koko the kelpie.

Len, he's on the telly!

Quick, Len, you'll miss him!

Every time he was on TV,

someone would ring me and say,

"Carol, have you seen

so and so? It's on TV."

I'd say, "Oh, hold on a minute!"

I'd have to change me channel.

A new redhead is in town.

Koko is the star of the new

Aussie film 'Red Dog'.

He's gorgeous.

Just absolutely gorgeous.

Audiences just love Koko.

Oh, I just walked out of

the cinema and I just...

I just wanted to go home

and hug my dog!

Everyone went with

the Koko phenomenon.

We got to travel

the entire country.

And I enjoyed that,

and I think he did too.

Tonight, Sydney's

world-famous Opera House

is the stage for Australia's

most prestigious

screen industry awards.

No, I'm not going to

be asking the dog questions.

It's just he's

the first big star

to arrive on

the red carpet here.

The film was nominated

at the first AACTAs

and they brought Tim Minchin

to do 'Red Dog'.

♪ They cast a dog

in the leading role

♪ Against some Yank

with a troubled soul

♪ And in the moment

mutual love is found

♪ They kill the bloke

then kill the hound

♪ And even though

we think we're tough

♪ And we saw it coming

from a mile off

♪ They have us sobbing

like suckers

♪ Those manipulative

f... ilm-makers

- ♪ Red Dog, Red Dog

- ♪ Red Dog

♪ He was a dog and he was red

- ♪ He was a live dog, live dog

- ♪ Live dog

♪ But by the credits,

he was dead. ♪

He's pretty method,

which is impressive.

I would have sworn

I was watching a dog.

I taught him

everything he knows.

What actor would I

compare him to?

- Gregory Peck.

- Colin Friels.

Schwarzenegger, OK? Why not?

And the Samsung AACTA Award

for Best Film goes to...

..'Red Dog'.

Nelson Woss and Julie Ryan.

'Red Dog' was nominated for

a total of seven

AACTA awards this year.

For it to do what it actually

did blew our minds.

You'd be at a restaurant,

and suddenly you'd hear

at the table next to you,

"You've gotta see this new film.

"It's called 'Red Dog'. There's

this amazing dog in it."

More and more people

were seeing him on screen

and falling in love with him.

It blew up.

Koko got invited everywhere.

London. Berlin. Dallas.

I heard 'dog'

and my ears went up.

'Red Dog' is top dog at this

year's Heartland Film Fest.

If you're an animal lover,

first of all you're gonna

love this movie.

You're gonna love your dog

even more.

The dog's expression

was tremendous.

And the Golden Collar

goes to Koko in 'Red Dog'.

He was it.

Koko got so popular, he was

offered roles in other movies.

There's always one,

whether it's a pig or...

There's always one with that

extra bit of personality.

George Miller called me

to ask me about Koko,

because he wanted to put him

in 'Fury Road'.

You know, I said,

"Yeah, he's great."

And he was

in that opening scene,

you know, with Tom Hardy,

but they ended up replacing him

with that two-headed

lizard thing.

Everything just became huge.

And we kind of knew

that the reason it did

was Koko.

The next step was to take Koko

and the film overseas.

And we had been asked

to do a gag on stage

and we wanted to say thank you

to the people

that had seen the film.

There were... A couple of

presenters introduced the film.

So the Event Cinemas IF Award

for Box Office Achievement

goes to 'Red Dog'.

And then I was to go out

and accept the award

and start thanking people.

But really, we all knew that

people didn't want

to listen to me

and the gag was

that I should shut up

and... and that Koko

would run out.

And he did it.

He nailed it.

He came straight out.

But I could see

something was wrong.

I would never have to

hold Koko on the lead

or hold him by his collar,

because he was so...

He was so good,

he knew what he had to do.

He would just do it by my side.

I'd never have to hold him.

But I could see...

I could see the moment

he came out on stage,

he wasn't comfortable.

I grabbed him by the collar...

..and then we walked off stage.

And...

..it's just because

I was used to...

I was used to not... not...

..holding him, I let him go.

And he just ran.

He ran straight

into the audience.

Man, I was so scared,

because I'd never

seen him do that before.

I knew something was wrong.

I knew something was very wrong.

He wasn't enjoying it.

And as soon as I saw that,

I wasn't gonna

let him do it anymore.

So this is a lateral X-ray,

showing Koko's heart

from the side.

And his heart's quite enlarged.

It's causing the trachea

to be displaced

up towards his backbone here

and the size of the heart is

actually quite enlarged

both that way and

that dimension as well.

The main symptoms

you normally see early are

there's often a change

in behaviour.

So the dog will become

exercise-intolerant.

They're not gonna be

so keen to go for a walk.

They're not gonna make the

same distance they used to.

They tire out a lot quicker.

I liken it to any sort of pump.

You know, whether it's

a fuel pump, whatever.

If the valves aren't

working properly,

the pump isn't working properly.

Sometimes as it progresses,

you'll notice a change

in breathing behaviour.

So they'll start panting,

they'll have shallow breathing,

belaboured breathing.

The best we could do was

put him on some medication

that would make him comfortable

and let him continue

enjoying being a dog.

We made sure that his condition

was really closely monitored.

And the feeling was

as long as he was happy

and enjoying being a dog

and enjoying his life,

we would do everything

that we could

to make sure

it could be continued.

It's alright, mate.

Initially, when we

started treating Koko,

Nelson informed us that his

energy levels had picked up,

he was a lot more active again.

The coughing had resolved

at least initially,

so he did see

a marked improvement.

And now Koko's, you know,

almost back to normal.

He's enjoying

a good quality of life.

He's enjoying going

for a walk in the park

and yeah, for the moment,

he's stabilised well.

Earlier this week, Koko,

who's retired from

his film career,

made a cameo appearance at the

RSPCA's Malaga headquarters.

He was on hand to present...

I wanted to learn

everything I could

possibly learn

about what was wrong with him

in the hope that we could

help him.

And we did have great success

with some of the medication,

and I wanted to let people know

and I didn't want people

to go through

what we were going through.

He was my best friend.

He was very, very close

to my daughter.

Just remember

that he's a little old,

so just be gentle with him, OK?

Alright.

He got along

pretty well with her.

He was back to

his normal self...

..for a while and then, uh...

..he started to decline again.

Eventually, if the valves are

just not functional enough,

nothing's going to fix the case.

It's catching up with him.

We're just taking it

day by day right now.

Koko and I lived in

a pretty unique spot.

Koko woke up that day...

..and...

..very quickly, I think,

he knew and I knew that

his condition had

deteriorated a lot.

I think...

he had just had enough.

You could tell.

He expressed it. He emoted it.

Koko was outside in the garden.

I remember he loved

that garden and he...

He did a walk-around.

He did one lap of it.

I called the vet, Jerome,

and I said,

"You better come round.

"He's not looking good."

And Jerome came around

and he said that

it's probably got to the point

where he's no longer

comfortable.

And he looked at us

and...

..you could just tell -

he... he said, "I'm ready."

And Jerome was ready

and...

..and Koko...

..was gone.

This is gonna break me up.

I'll never forget the phone call

I got from Nelson.

And that was

just before Christmas.

And my phone rang, my mobile,

and I answered it.

And he said,

"Oh, it's Nelson here."

And I said, "Gee, you don't

sound very good."

I didn't know what to say to him

because I felt as though

I'd been stabbed with something.

To lose a dog is heart-rending.

It tears a part of you away.

It's like losing a limb.

You know, you spend

your time afterwards

putting an extra bowl

on the table

that is no longer

going to be emptied.

And it's like losing

a part of you.

The canine star of the

hit film 'Red Dog' has died.

Koko became

Australia's best-known dog

after the film's release

last year.

The 7-year-old red kelpie

died of heart disease in Perth.

The kelpie who starred in

the hit movie

'Red Dog' has died.

7-year-old Koko,

the dog's real name,

died this morning

from heart disease.

'Red Dog' told the story

of a red cloud kelpie

who roamed

the Pilbara outback...

It was the shelter's idea.

They wanted to

celebrate his life.

The sort of two or three days

after Koko passed away

and we started

getting donations in,

it was just astronomical.

The phones ran off the hooks.

There was just

donations coming in,

just an outpouring of grief

as if people had actually

lost their own dog.

Koko brought

all the communities,

basically, round Australia,

together

and all the communities

in Australia liked Koko.

Koko's legacy definitely

lives on here at Shenton Park.

More than anything, he's

helping to save dogs in need.

I think it was something

that when the shelter

decided to build a statue,

they wanted to celebrate.

It was just probably one of

the most moving moments

that I had with the dogs.

I only owned Koko in

the last years of his life.

Koko was bred by Len and Carol

Hobday in Dunolly, Victoria,

and Carol gave me

perhaps the greatest gift

that anyone could give,

which was

she allowed me to keep Koko

after filming.

He was a different dog.

It didn't matter who you were

or what your background was,

he'd walk straight up to you

and he was interested

to get to know you.

If you were open

to getting to know him,

he would immediately

connect with you.

When you think about that,

that's pretty special.

A lot of times, you're not open

to connecting with people,

whereas Koko did that

unconditionally

and had a way of breaking

through people's barriers.

I remember sitting

in front of the monitor.

Nelson had gone to get

a coffee or something,

and Koko was there

and my hand was just sort of

like this at the chair.

And I just felt something,

and he was wanting a pat.

And I felt, really,

"Oh, that's so sweet."

He could always tell

I had a vibe, I think.

There was always

a bit of a tension there

but it was just a really nice,

lovely moment.

I just gave him a good little

scratch around the ears.

Yeah, and then I had

to put cream on my hand

for the next two weeks.

They accept you completely,

I think is what it is.

You know, human beings,

we always have

these strong, complex

interpersonal relationships.

There's a lot of judgement

involved.

And dogs, I feel like,

not only don't judge you,

but they totally accept you

for who you are

the same way you gotta

accept a dog for who he is.

When the movie was out,

I went to one of the theatres

in Melbourne for the premiere.

And Nelson was there

and Koko was there.

And the audience

loved it, and he was on.

And he was loving it.

But all of a sudden you could

see him. He was like...

He could smell something.

And when he saw me...

Oh, go away.

When he saw me,

he just went spare,

he really did.

And as I cuddled him, he

started to chew me necklace!

I couldn't believe it.

I thought,

"OK, this is still Koko."

He might be a star,

but it was still Koko.

I think it's a psychological

need to be loved.

And a dog will give you that.

Doesn't matter what you are,

what you look like,

your dog will love you

unconditionally.

In life...

..sometimes you have unique

and special relationships.

They can be with your family

or your friends

or your dog.

And you should enjoy them.

You should make the most of them

and be there in the moment

no matter what else

is going on in your life

or what you think's important

or whatever's stressing you out,

because those relationships

and those moments

don't last forever.

Koko was always in the moment

and when you were with Koko,

you were in the moment...

with him.

And I cherished that,

loved that.

I think everyone's dog

or everyone's special companion

can make you feel that way.

One...

..two, three.

Every now and then

a one-in-a-million dog

comes along.

A one-in-560-million, if we're

being completely honest.

Koko's tale can finally

take its place

amongst the pantheon

of legendary dogs

that came before him

and the many, many more

still to come.

But the truth is, as you know

if you're lucky enough

to have a dog,

stories like Koko's,

as incredible as they are,

aren't unique.

Everyone's dog is special.

No matter who we are,

these wandering souls

bring us all together,

fill us with their love

and change our lives

for the better.

Even when we dress them up

in ridiculous costumes.

Oh, good boy!

♪ Every time I see your face

♪ It reminds me of the places

we used to go

♪ But all I've got

is a photograph

♪ And I realise you're not

coming back anymore

♪ I thought I'd make it

♪ The day you went away

♪ But I can't make it

♪ Till you come home again

to stay

♪ I can't get used

to living here

♪ While my heart is broke,

my tears I cry for you

♪ I want you here

to have and hold

♪ As the years go by

and we grow old and grey

♪ Now you're expecting me

to live without you

♪ But that's not something

♪ That I'm looking forward to

♪ I can't get used

to living here

♪ While my heart is broke,

my tears I cry for you

♪ I want you here

to have and hold

♪ As the years go by

and we grow old and grey

♪ Every time I see your face

♪ It reminds me of the places

we used to go

♪ But all I've got

is a photograph

♪ And I realise you're not

coming back anymore

♪ Every time I see your face

♪ It reminds me of the places

we used to go

♪ But all I've got

is a photograph

♪ And I realise you're not

coming back anymore

♪ Every time I see your face

♪ It reminds me of the places

we used to go

♪ But all I've got

is a photograph... ♪

Don't they call that a wrap?

Uh, yep.

I watch too much TV!