By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — 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.
“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 3-year-old Valerie was trapped on April 25 in remarkably good condition after 529 days spent living like a feral animal. Valerie had weighted 4 kilograms (9 pounds) when she was lost and now weighs 6.8 kilograms (15 pounds). There is speculation that she survived on road kill and animal droppings.
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. 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.
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.
In Albury, Valerie will be reunited with rescue cat Lucy and cattle dog Mason. She will also be introduced to her owners’ new dachshund, Dorothy.