Dog Names Ending in ko

A famous dog in pop culture, starring in a movie called Red Dog, was called Koko. Koko was a male Australian Kelpie born in Victoria, Australia and owned by Len and Carol Hobday. The Hobdays were Australian Kelpie breeders and trained Koko as a show dog. He took out the title of Best Exhibiting Group, Working Dogs, in 2006, a rare title for such a young pup.

In 2011, Koko hit the spotlight again, playing one of the leading roles in the movie Red Dog. Koko played the role of Red Dog, a dog from a mining town that has several owners over his life and develops many relationships in the early 1970s. Red Dog travels throughout West Australia, being taken in by many owners along the way, and even gets his own bank account. The Bank of New South Wales used him as a mascot in their marketing material, stating that if “Red banks at Wales, then you can too.” The movie is based on a true story.

Unfortunately, Red Dog met an untimely death, with someone deliberately poisoning him with strychnine in 1979. However, the dog that played Red Dog continued to lead a rewarding life. He won a Golden Collar Award for his role in the movie, and artwork in his honor was a finalist for the 2012 Archibald Prize as well.

Following on from his success, Koko developed congestive heart disease and retired to “light duties,” helping the RSPCA and Dogs’ Refuge Home WA with fundraising efforts. He died on December 18, 2012, with a prequel movie called Red Dog: True Blue, dedicated to his memory.

Koko is also not the only dog name ending in "ko" that shot to fame on the big screen, either. A German Shepherd named Tusko played his father called Kantor in a Hungarian TV series of the same name. Tusko was a much-loved Hungarian Detective dog.

More commonly known, too, is the dog named Hachiko. Hachiko’s story is so well known that it became a movie with skyrocketing reviews. You can also see Hachiko’s statue in Tokyo. Hachiko was a Japanese Akita known for his loyalty to his dead master, Hidesaburo Ueno.

Every day, Hachiko would wait for his master to get off the train, even though he had died. He continued to visit the station every day for the next nine years, refusing to go live with relatives and preferring to sleep on the streets. Anyone who watches the movie, Hachiko, will find it challenging not to shed a tear!