Latest news with #GeorgiaGardner
Times
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Valerie the dachshund reunited with owners after 540 days
The last time Georgia Gardner saw her miniature dachshund, Valerie, the dog cut a slight figure, barely 6in tall and weighing 8lb. Her pet's existence consisted of toys, treats and getting wrapped up in a little pink jumper with matching collar and lead when the weather turned cold. Then Valerie disappeared into the wilderness of an Australian island. After 540 days of separation, Gardner has finally been reunited with her beloved pet, who is now 4lb heavier — a muscular and stocky dog who no longer fits into her pink harness. 'It was absolutely incredible,' said Gardner, 24, describing the moment she and her boyfriend, Josh Fishlock, 25, saw their elusive sausage dog in the flesh for the first time since she escaped from their
CNN
07-05-2025
- General
- CNN
Tears of joy as Valerie the runaway dachshund finally reunited with owners
CNN — Valerie the dachshund has finally been reunited with her owners after surviving 540 days alone on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. Owners Georgia Gardner and Josh Fishlock described the moment they got to hold the tiny pup in their arms in a statement published Wednesday. Gardner said she 'burst into tears' when Valerie ran up to her as they saw each other again for the first time on Tuesday. 'She was wagging her tail, making her little happy sounds, and wiggling around with joy. I held her and cried and cried,' she said in the statement. 'She's stockier now, strong and healthy… healthier than we are, honestly!' added Gardner. Fishlock said the pair hadn't expected to see Valerie again. 'It still doesn't feel real,' he said in the statement. Valerie, who will soon celebrate her third birthday, went missing on a camping trip to the island in November 2023. When strangers tried to help, she fled into the undergrowth, and her owners eventually gave up and returned home to the mainland. With no sightings it was assumed Valerie had met her match with a snake or perhaps one of the giant Rosenberg's goannas — reptiles up to 1.5 meters (5 feet) long — that occupy the island. However, reports of sightings started to emerge, sparking a massive search operation led by volunteers from the Kangala Wildlife Rescue, a non-profit group set up in 2020 following the devastating Australian bushfires. Valerie was eventually found on April 25, and has been looked after by the charity since. Director Jared Karran described Valerie as 'truly something special.' 'She was just so much smaller than we imagined. If it was a miracle before that she'd survived — seeing her size — it's just unbelievable that she was able to survive and thrive out there!' he said in the statement. Home to around 5,000 people, Kangaroo Island is about 45 minutes from the mainland by ferry. Tourists go there to see Australian native wildlife, but officials have long had a problem controlling introduced species including feral cats. The island is thick with bush, and there are many places for a small dog to hide. Another difficulty is the island's vibrant ecosystem, according to the charity. 'One of the reasons this is such a difficult rescue and not as easy as just baiting and setting traps, is due to the fact we are constantly competing with hundreds of wildlife like possums, wallabies, kangaroos, goannas and feral cats. All which are all just after a feed also,' the group said in a post on Facebook before the little dog was found. Now Valerie is preparing to return home to Albury, New South Wales, where she will be reunited with Gardner and Fishlock's other pets, Lucy the rescue cat, Mason the red heeler and their latest addition, Dorothy, a fellow dachshund.
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Wild conspiracy theory emerges after Valerie the dachshund is reunited with its owners
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.'
The Independent
07-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Owners stunned as Valerie the dachshund puts on weight after 18 months alone on island
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.
Washington Post
07-05-2025
- General
- Washington Post
A miniature dachshund is reunited with its owner after 18 months lost on an Australian island
MELBOURNE, Australia — Valerie, a miniature dachshund lost for 18 months — or around half her life — on an Australian island, has been reunited with her owners, her rescuers said Wednesday. Owner Georgia Gardner said her pet approached without hesitation when they were reunited by Kangala Wildlife Rescue on Kangaroo Island off the coast of South Australia state on Tuesday for the first time since November 2023.
