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Extraordinary twist 500 days after Aussie couple's camping tragedy: 'Cried for days'

Losing a cherished pet in an unfamiliar place is a nightmare no owner ever wants to face — let alone being forced to return home without them, weighed down by heartbreak and guilt. But that's exactly what happened to NSW couple Georgia and Josh when their beloved dachshund, Valerie, slipped from her pen and vanished into the wild while they were fishing at Stokes Bay on South Australia's Kangaroo Island in 2023. What followed was a frantic, tear-filled search that stretched over days, but despite their desperate efforts, little Valerie was gone without a trace. Now, some 500 days after the miniature sausage dog vanished, hope is again on the horizon. In an extraordinary twist, it's emerged that there have been several reliable sightings of little Valerie — who weighs less than four kilograms —in the last few months, merely kilometres from Stokes Bay. Starting roughly a year after her disappearance in November, 2023, regular sightings of Valerie have been coming into local wildlife groups on Kangaroo Island, with residents reporting to have witnessed a little dog with a pink colour in shrubs around the bay. According to the Kangala Wildlife Rescue group, "based on firsthand accounts and video evidence", they now believe "Valerie is alive". "She runs at the first sign of humans or vehicles and despite the best efforts of dedicated Island locals, Valerie has been impossible to catch," it wrote online. "The dedicated volunteers from Kangala, in consultation with Valerie's family have set out on a mission to find and catch Valerie so she can be reunited with her loving parents who stand ready to provide the care she will need to come home again. Pet owner's ordeal after beloved dog went missing from courier Owner reunited with beloved missing dog after more than three years Calls grow for total 4WD ban on Australian beaches "We are using surveillance and various trapping and luring methods in the area she was last seen to try and bring her home. This is a tiny dog in a huge area, and we will need help from the public to report any sightings and a lot of luck." Georgie described her heartache at having to return home to Broken Hill following the tragic loss a year and four months ago. "I remember on the first day I was just covered in tears. We barely ate anything," she told The Adelaide Advertiser. "My whole world just crumbled. When we left the island without her, I cried for days." Kangala Wildlife Rescue's Jared Karran believes the little dog has been surviving on road kill and dam water. He explained that the luring techniques had been tailored to suit her small size, but mentioned crews are seeking advice from interstate counterparts on the next best steps. Just this week, more photographic evidence that Valerie is alive surfaced. Georgie, who now lives in Albury, said she was flooded with "mixed emotions", while conscious not to get her hopes up. She said she "never really ruled out" the possibility her beloved companion was in fact alive. Anybody with information on Valerie's whereabouts has been urged to contact Kangala Wildlife Rescue on 0493 257 250 or email at kangalawildliferescue@ Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.