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Escaped dog in Australia is rescued after 529 days alone in the wilderness

Escaped dog in Australia is rescued after 529 days alone in the wilderness

NBC News28-04-2025
A runaway miniature dachshund in Australia named Valerie has been found alive and well after she went missing for 529 days in the wilderness.
Wildlife searchers announced late Friday that Valerie had been safely rescued on Kangaroo Island off the coast of South Australia. The beloved sausage dog had captured international attention after disappearing in November 2023 during a camping trip with her owners, Josh Fishlock and Georgia Gardner.
'We are absolutely thrilled and deeply relieved that Valerie is finally safe,' Kangala Wildlife Rescue said on Facebook, sparking joy and relief on social media.
The nonprofit group said its volunteers had spent more than 1,000 hours and traveled over 3,000 miles in the search operation, which involved numerous cameras and traps.
Kangala directors Jared and Lisa Karran said the team created a scent trail using Valerie's toys and pieces ripped off a shirt Gardner had worn for 12 hours at a time. The trail eventually lured the dog into a cage they had set up.
'She went right into the back corner,' Jared Karran said Saturday in a video. 'I pressed the button, and thankfully, it all worked perfectly.'
Lisa Karran, who was wearing the remnants of Gardner's 'tatty' shirt, then sat outside the cage with other rescuers so Valerie could grow familiar with them. After a while, the team proceeded to enter the enclosure one by one.
'She came up, would sniff us and we'd just go by her cues, until she was completely calm and snuggled up in our laps. It was amazing,' Lisa Karran said.
Gardner said she was 'incredibly grateful' to the rescue group and was looking forward to being reunited with Valerie soon.
'For anyone who's ever lost a pet, your feelings are valid and never give up hope,' Gardner said on Facebook. 'Sometimes good things happen to good people.'
Jared Karran said the team would return Valerie, who is now 'decompressing,' to her owners in a week or so.
Valerie went on the loose when her owners left her briefly at their campsite to go fishing. The duo, assisted by locals, searched for Valerie but couldn't find her.
The dog was presumed dead since it was highly unlikely she could survive alone on Kangaroo Island, which is home to venomous snakes and spiders. About a year later, frequent sightings of a dachshund with a pink collar began to emerge, Kangala Wildlife Rescue said.
The group concluded from firsthand accounts and video evidence that Valerie was still alive. Catching her was not easy, however, since she ran at the first sign of humans or vehicles.
Rescuers said in March that they were also 'constantly competing with hundreds of wildlife like possums, wallabies, kangaroos, Goannas and feral cats,' making the operation 'not as easy as just baiting and setting traps.'
Kangaroo Island is the third-largest island in Australia and is renowned for its rich native wildlife, including more than 30 threatened animal and plant species. The island's visitor spending hit a record high of $180 million in the year to June 2023, far exceeding the annual target of $127 million officials hoped to reach by 2025, according to the Australian government.
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Wild conspiracy theory emerges after Valerie the dachshund is reunited with its owners
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time07-05-2025

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Australians have questioned if the miraculous rescue of a world-famous runaway dachshund was just an exercise in 'money-making', after the dog was reunited with her owners. Valerie, a miniature sausage dog, was found on April 25 - 529 days after she went missing on Kangaroo Island, off South Australia. This week, owners John Fishlock and Georgia Gardner drove from their home in Albury, NSW, to retrieve their beloved pet. Ms Gardner said in a statement that Valerie was 'making her little happy sounds and wiggling around with joy' after she saw her owners for the first time since November 2023. 'She's stockier now, strong and healthy. Healthier than we are, honestly,' she said. Valerie was spotted in CCTV tapes from Kangaroo Island residences on multiple occasions but consistently evaded capture for 17 months. Local wildlife organisation Kangala Wildlife Rescue spotted Valerie in March before trapping her weeks later. On Tuesday, a veterinarian declared Valerie was in perfect health. Kangala director Jared Karran said it was 'just unbelievable (Valerie) was able to survive and thrive out there'. However, the puppy's miraculous survival story and 1.8kg weight gain – roughly half her previous body weight – have led many Aussies to doubt she survived on the island on her own. Many locals believe someone was feeding Valerie, while Kangala co-director Lisa Karran thought she had been taken in by other wild animals. Some believed Valerie would have become a feral, rabid dog in her time away from civilisation, having been just two years old when she ran away. But rescuers and vets said that wasn't the case. Valerie's story amassed a loyal legion of followers from around the world. But some have claimed the dachshund's disappearance was a hoax. One person labelled it a 'money-making exercise' on the part of the small, non-profit wildlife organisation. Some locals believe the dog couldn't have survived without the help of some humans 'We all love the story but I'm just thinking they are milking it a bit now,' another said. The organisation received donations to help catch and attend to Valerie on their website. Its volunteers responded to the doubt emerging online. 'When the dust settles and the truth comes out I think you might be pleasantly surprised,' Kangala wrote in response to one comment. 'It can be hard to see in this cruel world, but most people still want to do what's right.' Mr Fishlock said the couple were feeling 'so much emotion' before their drive home with Valerie on Wednesday. 'We were very nervous coming in today but the reaction was just priceless,' he told The Advertiser. 'I bawled my eyes out and just seeing her come up and wag her tail and bark, I'm speechless.'

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A miniature dachshund named Valerie, who had been missing for 18 months on an Australian island, has been reunited with her shocked owners. The Kangala Wildlife Rescue announced on Wednesday that Valerie, who had spent around half her life lost on Kangaroo Island off the coast of South Australia, was back with her family. Miraculously, the dog had put on six pounds in that time. There is speculation that she survived on road kill and animal droppings. Owner Georgia Gardner said that when they were reunited on Tuesday, Valerie approached her without hesitation, marking the end of their separation that began in November 2023. 'She ran straight up to me — I just burst into tears,' Gardner said in a statement released on Wednesday. 'She was wagging her tail, making her little happy sounds and wiggling around with joy. I held her and cried and cried,' Gardner added. The almost three-year-old Valerie was trapped on April 25 in remarkably good condition after 529 days spent living like a feral animal. Valerie had weighed four kilograms (nine pounds) when she was lost and now weighs 6.8 kilograms (15 pounds). Gardner and her partner, Josh Fishlock, had been holidaying on the island and were away from their campsite fishing when their pet escaped from a pen. Map of Kangaroo Island: The couple searched but eventually had to return to the mainland without her. Volunteers from Kangala Wildlife Rescue, a not-for-profit service, spotted the distinctive addition to the Australian wilderness in March. She was captured after volunteers spent an estimated 1,000 hours searching while covering 5,000 kilometers (3,000 miles) of the island. Having seen video camera images of the dog sniffing a trap last month, Kangala Wildlife Rescue director Jared Karran said he was surprised by how small she was in reality. 'If it was a miracle that she's survived — seeing her size — it's just unbelievable that she was able to survive and thrive out there,' Karran said. Gardner and Fishlock will drive Valerie back to their home in Albury in New South Wales state. She will be reunited with rescue cat Lucy and cattle dog Mason. She will also be introduced to her owners' new dachshund, Dorothy. Garner said she had been working with a dog behaviorist to help Valerie transition to home life. Valerie will be kept on a raw food diet 'considering her incredible condition when she was found,' Gardner said.

Dachshund reunited with owner after 18 months lost on island had put on weight
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time07-05-2025

  • The Independent

Dachshund reunited with owner after 18 months lost on island had put on weight

A miniature dachshund named Valerie, who had been missing for 18 months on an Australian island, has been reunited with her shocked owners. The Kangala Wildlife Rescue announced on Wednesday that Valerie, who had spent around half her life lost on Kangaroo Island off the coast of South Australia, was back with her family. Miraculously, the dog had put on six pounds in that time. There is speculation that she survived on road kill and animal droppings. Owner Georgia Gardner said that when they were reunited on Tuesday, Valerie approached her without hesitation, marking the end of their separation that began in November 2023. 'She ran straight up to me — I just burst into tears,' Gardner said in a statement released on Wednesday. 'She was wagging her tail, making her little happy sounds and wiggling around with joy. I held her and cried and cried,' Gardner added. The almost three-year-old Valerie was trapped on April 25 in remarkably good condition after 529 days spent living like a feral animal. Valerie had weighed four kilograms (nine pounds) when she was lost and now weighs 6.8 kilograms (15 pounds). Gardner and her partner, Josh Fishlock, had been holidaying on the island and were away from their campsite fishing when their pet escaped from a pen. Map of Kangaroo Island: The couple searched but eventually had to return to the mainland without her. Volunteers from Kangala Wildlife Rescue, a not-for-profit service, spotted the distinctive addition to the Australian wilderness in March. She was captured after volunteers spent an estimated 1,000 hours searching while covering 5,000 kilometers (3,000 miles) of the island. Having seen video camera images of the dog sniffing a trap last month, Kangala Wildlife Rescue director Jared Karran said he was surprised by how small she was in reality. 'If it was a miracle that she's survived — seeing her size — it's just unbelievable that she was able to survive and thrive out there,' Karran said. Gardner and Fishlock will drive Valerie back to their home in Albury in New South Wales state. She will be reunited with rescue cat Lucy and cattle dog Mason. She will also be introduced to her owners' new dachshund, Dorothy. Garner said she had been working with a dog behaviorist to help Valerie transition to home life. Valerie will be kept on a raw food diet 'considering her incredible condition when she was found,' Gardner said.

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