When a miniature tackles disappeared on a South Australian island in November 2023, her distressed owner cried for days while trying to find her, because the dog had never left her side once and had a slim chance to survive on her own in nature.
But 16 months after she disappeared, Valerie was spotted alive on the Kangaroo Island in South Australia to the surprise of experts in wildlife.
Valerie went missing during vacation with her owners, Georgia Gardner and Josh Fishlock. Although they sought local help on the island for a week, she has only been seen again in recent months.
“We probably spent five days of the rest of our journey in search of her, but unfortunately without any happiness,” Fishlock told Nine News’ Today. After futile efforts to find Valeria, they left the island to return to their lives.
But he said that in the months after the disappearance of Valerie, she was reported that she was seen on the Kangaroo Island.
“She never left my side. She wasn’t a very outdoor and waai dog. To think that she even went outside in the rain one night, oh my gosh. To think that she was a one and a half year is incredible, ‘said Ms. Gardner said. The guardian.
The dog, whose exact age was not available, evades despite efforts by volunteers and experts in wildlife.
The Kangala Wildlife Rescue confirmed her survival through video evidence and set traps with cameras to try to catch her. On their Facebook page, the organization wrote: “Based on first-hand accounts and video evidence, we now know that Valerie is alive. She runs on the first sign of people or vehicles and despite the best efforts of dedicated residents of the island, Valerie was impossible to catch.”
Mr Fishlock said Nine News: “Initially, we were a little skeptical about all the observations, and probably, probably three weeks ago, we received a photo of one of the residents and that made a lot of hope in us. This has given us almost 100 percent certainty that she is still alive. “
However, she allegedly gets timid when someone tries to approach her and quickly flees again.
Despite being a ‘princess’ and is not suitable for nature, Valerie’s remarkable resilience surprised her rescue workers.
Ms Gardner said: “We thought, instead of surviving in nature, someone may have adopted some kind of her, or she hanged out with a few other dogs and got their food because she was an absolute little princess.”
“I remember the first day when I was just covered in tears. We barely ate something, ‘she said The Adelaide advertiser. “My whole world has just crumbled. When we left the island without her, I cried for days. ”
Kangala wrote on their Instagram: “We use supervision and different catch and lure methods in the area she was last seen to bring her home. It is a small puppy in a big environment, and we will need help from the public to report any observations and congratulations.”
Experts are surprised by the dog’s survival, and speculate that she may have received roads, dam water or possibly help from the residents. Paul McGreevy of Veterinary School of the University of Sydney said that sneakers were “extremely inventive” like all dogs. He said: “Dogs are the biggest opportunists in the animal kingdom: this is one of their core skills.”
On the Facebook page of Kangala, one user wrote: ‘Please put the unwashed clothing of the owner down on the locations. Ask people who see her to sit down and not make eye contact. Exposing food with liquid smoke routes with route cameras will help, but the clothes are essential. Her owners should be there as soon as possible.
“They have to walk around, but not to her out, because she won’t be able to recognize them at first. Dachshunds tend to hide against surfaces to seek comfort. ‘
