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A miniature dachshund named Valerie, who has spent almost a year and a half lost on a remote island in southern Australia, has been spotted in the wild — now rescue workers and islanders think they're finally close to catching the little pup.
"Fantastic news off the bat," Jared Karen, a staff member of Kangala Wildlife Rescue, said in an update video on the organization’s Facebook page.
"We have seen her, and we’ve narrowed down the search area to one specific point where we’ve got cameras in place."
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He added, "She’s looking really healthy and from here it’s just little steps to continue to get her pretty comfortable."
Valerie is no survivalist, her owner said. She’s actually quite the "princess."
Valerie the wiener dog has been living on a remote island in Australia, evading capture for more than a year. Her owners, Georgia Gardner and Joshua Fishlock, are shown with their pup. (Georgia Gardner)
"It's absolutely unbelievable that she has survived a year and a half out there in the wild, honestly," said Georgia Gardner, 24, of Albury, Australia.
"She’s an absolute princess who rides in a car seat and only wears the color pink. She didn't like being away from me at all … It’s just insane to think she's been out there this long, surviving off instincts and probably eating roadkill and drinking water from dams," she added.
Valerie went missing on Nov. 13, 2023, while camping with her owners, Gardner and Joshua Fishlock, 25. The two traveled with their dog to Kangaroo Island, more than 1,000 km from home, and the trouble began just two days into the trip.
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"We had taken her to the beach for a swim," Gardner told Fox News Digital. "We decided to go for a fish just very quickly, for like 30 minutes. We left her in her pen with her bed and water and a snuffle mat filled with treats and another dog toy. It had been a big day so we thought she'd be tired."
Gardner said she and Fishlock were fishing no more than 200 meters away from the pen, which was at their campsite. But Valerie, who’s used to being right by Gardner’s side, didn’t like being left alone. So, she broke out of the pen.
Valerie is a dachshund dog who has been living on an Australian island after escaping from her two owners. (Georgia Gardner)
"She sat under Josh's [car], and then some good Samaritans were also camping in the same area, and they were concerned that she'd get run over," Gardner said. "So they went to try and catch her, but they kind of ended up chasing her into a nearby bushland."
Gardner added, "One of them was trying to chase her and the other one came and got us, then we all ran around trying to get her."
The couple spent the next five days hiking through the hills and the bushland looking for Valerie.
"It was very awful," Gardner said. "We were crying, and we weren't sleeping, and we weren't eating very much, and it poured rain the whole time."
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They reached out via a local Facebook page and connected with Tangala Wildlife Rescue. The workers helped them put out a roast chicken and a camera, hoping it might lure Valerie back to them. But there was no luck.
"Finally, we had to leave the island," Gardner said. "We both had to return to our full-time jobs. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack."
"It's very unlikely that there's any other sausage dog that's missing on the island in that area. So that's why we're fairly certain it's her," one of Valerie's owners said. (Georgia Gardner)
They made the long drive home with one less family member in the car.
"We were absolutely devastated," Gardner said. "I remember leaving one of her little toys and some of our clothes where we'd last seen her. As we were on the ferry, I remember looking back on the island and just crying."
Gardner said when they returned home, they heard Valerie might have been spotted, but nothing came of it — so she packed up all her things and tried to move on.
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A year later, on the anniversary of her disappearance, Gardner posted on Facebook again, saying they still had faith that Valerie could be alive and that if anyone had seen her to make contact.
"Some people reached out and said that they'd actually seen her on the island a few times over the year," Gardner said.
On Feb. 28, there was another sighting of Valerie that was posted on a local Facebook page. That's when Kangala Wildlife Rescue got involved again, according to Gardner.
"Because it's such a small island and a really tight-knit community, they knew the people that had seen her, and they were able to go and speak to them," Gardner said. "From there, they created a mission plan to catch her."
Kangala Wildlife Rescue, founded in 2020, organized the installation of more cameras and some traps to bring Valerie home safely.
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"They have put so much time and dedication into finding her," Gardner said. "As of Thursday and continuing frequently since then, they've seen her on the cameras in the area."
Kangala Wildlife Rescue, which was founded in 2020, organized the installation of more cameras and some traps to bring Valerie home safely. (Georgia Gardner)
"It's very unlikely that there's any other sausage dog that's missing on the island in that area. So that's why we're fairly certain it's her," she added.
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Gardner said that if Valerie is caught, she and Fishlock hope to plan a trip and immediately pick her up.
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Donations to help fund Valerie’s return can be made at kangalawildliferescue.com.
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