Adorable Miniature Dachshund Lost in Australian Wilderness Finally Found After 529 Days

Yahoo

17-06-2025

Adorable Miniature Dachshund Lost in Australian Wilderness Finally Found After 529 Days originally appeared on PetHelpful.
Finally. Some (really) good news!
In November 2023, Valerie, a miniature dachshund, went missing while on a camping trip to Kangaroo Island, a remote island in southern Australia. Much to the dismay of her owners Josh Fishlock and Georgia Gardner, Valerie ran away from their campsite and into the Australian wilderness.
While Valerie was microchipped and also had an Apple AirTag on her collar, a days-long search between Valerie's owners and local community members turned up empty.
And so, Fishlock and Gardner had no choice but to return home to mainland Australia without their beloved pup. In an interview with NPR, Fishlock said leaving the island without Valerie was the "hardest decision I think I've ever made in my life."
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That said, the couple still hoped someone would find Valerie and they'd be able to bring her home. Months went by and the chance that Valerie might not ever return home became more and more likely.However, in February 2025, their lost hope was reignited when Valerie was spotted by a Kangaroo Island farmer. The farmer took a photo of the tiny dog running through fields and this photograph eventually made its way to Kangala Wildlife Rescue, who began a massive search effort to catch Valerie and bring her home.
The search efforts went viral on social media and the Internet anxiously hoped for an announcement of Valerie's safe rescue.
Then, on April 25, 2025, Kangala Wildlife Rescue announced the news everyone was waiting for: Valerie was rescued! The wildlife rescue shared the news on a post on Facebook, explaining the mass effort that went into the rescue:
"The search for Valerie involved over 1000 volunteer hours and more than 5000 km travelled by volunteers in their private vehicles, the deployment and monitoring of numerous cameras and traps and the use of various forms of technology to successfully secure Valerie while ensuring her physical and psychological welfare," they said.
A key component of the rescue was a smelly t-shirt. According to CNN, this t-shirt was worn by her owners in 12-hour shifts and then ripped up and used as a scent trail to coax Valerie into the enclosure.
Valerie is now safe and sound back home with her owners. Gardner and Fishlock told NPR that Valerie settled right back in, which is such a relief to hear.Adorable Miniature Dachshund Lost in Australian Wilderness Finally Found After 529 Days first appeared on PetHelpful on Jun 17, 2025
This story was originally reported by PetHelpful on Jun 17, 2025, where it first appeared.