(UPI) — The miniature dachshund who fled from her owners on Australia’s Kangaroo Island has been rescued after 549 days in the wild.
The dog, named Valerie, fled from a Stokes Bay campsite while visiting with her owners, Georgia Gardner and Josh Fishlock, in November 2023.
The duo spent a week searching the area with help from locals, but were unable to locate Valerie.
The couple feared their pet had fallen victim to one of the island’s many predators, but in mid-March this year rescuers with Kangala Wildlife Rescue revealed there had been confirmed sightings of Valerie alive and well on the island.
The nonprofit group stepped up its search efforts and directors Jared and Lisa Karran said Valerie was finally caught in a crate with a remote-controlled door Friday night where a T-shirt with the scent of her owners had been ripped up and placed as bait.
“She actually went into her crate, the one that was set up to look like the one at home, and she went and had a sleep,” Jared Karran said in a video posted to social media.
The rescuers said Valerie is now “decompressing” from her adventure in the wilderness and will soon be reunited with her family on the Australian mainland.
“For anyone who’s ever lost a pet, your feelings are valid and never give up hope,” Gardner wrote on social media. “Sometimes good things happen to good people.”
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