Valerie the Dachshund makes global headlines after surviving 16 months in the Aussie wilderness

A miniature dachshund called Valerie has become internationally renowned after recently being spotted alive on Kangaroo Island where she went missing 16 months ago.

Valerie went on a camping trip to Stokes Bay on Kangaroo island with her young owners Georgia Gardner and Josh Fishlock in November 2023. Anxiously trying to follow her owners to the beach, she escaped her pen, panicked and fled into the bushland.

Her owners and a large group of locals desperately searched for Valerie for 5 days but there was no trace of her so they had to return to the mainland, heartbroken without their beloved sausage dog.

“She never left my side. She was not a very outside, rough-and-tough dog,” Ms Gardner told The Guardian.

“My whole world just crumbled. When we left the island without her, I cried for days.” she told the Adelaide Advertiser.

With no trace of Valerie for nearly a year, her owners feared the worst.

Incredibly, after various sightings across the island earlier this year, footage of the miniature dachshund emerged on April 3, showing her trotting across a field roughly 14km from the campsite where she escaped.

The footage was shared by Kangala Wildlife Rescue who have been behind the rescue mission to bring Valerie to safety.

“Based on first-hand accounts and video evidence, we now know that Valerie is alive” they shared on Facebook.

“Seeing that long body and wiggly bum was just the boost everyone needed,” Kangala added.

Kangala Wildlife Rescue Director Jared Karran and his wife Lisa have dedicated hours to the search, laying elaborate traps which feature roast chickens, Valerie’s favourite brand of dog food and sardines which they’ve placed into bait boxes and monitored by night vision cameras.

The dense bushland where Valerie was last seen is bustling with native wildlife and their carefully placed traps have attracted curious kangaroos, possums and wallabies.

The small dog is reportedly hard to catch — becoming skittish when someone tries to approach her and quickly bolting away. Excitingly, on April 10 Kangala shared that they heard a bark close by to one of the traps so it seems Valerie’s much-awaited rescue might happen in the coming days.

Valerie’s story has been circulated around the world, recently picked up by the New York Times in the US and The Guardian in the UK.

“We are watching this story in Texas — we keep checking to see if Valerie is back home — amazing what a survivor she is!” one person commented on the latest Kangala Facebook post.

Jarred Karran said he was “amazed” that Valerie had survived the wilderness and suspects that she has lived on a diet of roadkill and dam water.

“I can’t believe the damn thing’s still alive…there’s obviously enough roadkill to keep it going” local councillor Sam Mumford said.

Valerie’s owners, the Kangala Wildlife Rescue team and concerned dog-lovers are still anxiously waiting for more news on Valerie’s whereabouts, keen to make sure she returns home safely soon.