Georgia Gardner was vacationing on Australia's Kangaroo Island in 2023 when her beloved miniature dachshund escaped from its cage. The dog, who usually wouldn't leave Gardner's side, ran off and proved impossible to catch—though Gardner, her partner, and a team of locals tried for a week. Gardner and her partner eventually had to return home without 2-pound Valerie. Sixteen months later, Valerie is no closer to being caught, but Gardner can at least find comfort in knowing her dog is still going strong on an island known for its diverse wildlife. After months of no sightings of the dog, the Kangala Wildlife Rescue announced last week it had "first-hand accounts and video evidence" showing Valerie is very much alive, per the Guardian.
The dog was spotted in an open field almost 10 miles from the Stokes Bay campsite from which she escaped. To know she's survived so long in the wild is "incredible," Gardner tells the Guardian. She'd hoped a kind stranger had found and adopted the pink-collared dog "because she was an absolute little princess," she says. "She was not a very outside, rough-and-tough dog." Now, Gardner is considering how she might get to Kangaroo Island from her home on the mainland if someone does manage to catch her dog. The wildlife rescue recently set up several camera traps in the hope of wrangling Valerie, who's likely been living off roadkill and dam water, Kangala Director Jared Karran tells the Adelaide Advertiser. (More Australia stories.)
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