She was on the loose for 529 days, but Valerie the miniature dachshund has finally been caught.
A local wildlife organization announced on social media on Friday (April 25) that the pup has been rescued and will be reunited with her owners, Georgia Gardner and Josh Fishlock, in due course – but not before she was treated to some roast chicken and the best dog food.
“Valerie has been safely rescued and is fit and well,” Kangala Wildlife Rescue confirmed on Instagram, “This rescue was a true testament to the dedication and perseverance of our team, the unwavering support of the community, and the power of collaboration.”
Valerie disappeared while on vacation on Kangaroo Island with Georgia and Josh in November 2023. As the couple went fishing in the Stokes Bay area of the island, Valerie escaped from her playpen at the campsite. She ran under a parked car to hide, but after other holidaymakers tried to get her to come out, she got spooked and ran off into the bushland.
Initial efforts to find her were in vain, and eventually, Georgia and Josh had to return to their hometown of Broken Hill to get back to work. Volunteers on the island kept searching, however, and were surprised to see the brave dog alive earlier this year after over 500 days.
While Georgia and Josh thought that Valerie might have been living with other animals or cared for by a local, the footage showed that she had been spending her time on the island by herself.
It’s thought that she was able to survive by drinking fresh water from dams and eating roadkill while keeping her distance from snakes.
Kangaroo Island is Australia’s third-largest, but Valerie didn’t appear to travel too far, being spotted just 10 miles from the campsite in some footage.
It’s estimated that volunteers spent more than 1,000 hours searching for Valerie, with over 5,000km (around 3,100 miles) traveled. It was a search operation involving cameras and prepared traps that caught her.
Kangala Wildlife Rescue thanked “those who offered their time, resources, and support during this demanding operation,” before posting a video in which directors and volunteers Jared and Lisa Karran went into further detail.
They expected Valerie to be in survival mode and took things very slowly once they caught her, but she was eager to engage with them “up at the front, barking and communicating” – her first meal of roast chicken and her favorite dog food helped her adjust to being around humans again, too. Her next step will be to see Georgia and Josh again after so long apart.
While most lost dogs don’t have adventures quite as dramatic as Valerie’s, here are 10 steps to recovering your canine
