In November 2023, when a tiny dachshund named Valerie vanished into the wilds of Australia’s Kangaroo Island, few believed she could survive more than a few days. However, in a twist that surprised everyone, this brave little dog was recently found alive and well after 529 days on her own. 

Valerie somehow managed to survive over a year and a half alone on a dangerous island full of snakes, heat waves, and wild animals. She even gained some weight and looks healthier than ever. Nobody knows how Valerie did it, but her survival story is breaking the internet and touching hearts across the globe.

While many social media users celebrate Valerie’s return, others call it a publicity stunt aimed at drawing people’s attention to charity campaigns run by rescue organizations and local wildlife authorities. However, Valerie’s owners, who are from the UK, aren’t bothered by these allegations. They are just happy to reunite with their beloved pet.

“We’re happy to see our princess after such a long time,” Georgia Gardner and Joshua Fishlock, owners of Valerie, said.   

The incredible lost and found tale

About a year and a half ago, Georgia Gardner and Josh Fishlock, from Albury in New South Wales, took their beloved dachshund Valerie on a holiday to Stokes Bay on Kangaroo Island. During their stay, Valerie escaped from her pen at the campsite and disappeared into the dense forest while the couple was out fishing. 

When Gardner and Fishlock returned, they were devastated to find Valerie missing. They spent the next couple of days searching for her. However, they couldn’t find her and eventually had to return to New South Wales.

“We were so upset, and we felt a lot of guilt as well,” Gardner told the Washington Post.

Determined not to give up, the couple remained in contact with local wildlife authorities and volunteers. They also came in contact with Kangala Wildlife Rescue, a nonprofit that specializes in rescuing wild and orphaned animals on the island. 

For months, Valerie seemed to have vanished without a trace until scattered reports of a small dog wandering the island began to emerge. These occasional sightings caught the attention of the Kangala team, and they began tracking the dog’s movements in early 2024, setting up motion-activated cameras in areas where she had been seen. 

The footage confirmed it was indeed Valerie and launched a full-scale effort to bring her home. Over the following months, the rescue team devoted more than 1,000 hours and traveled over 5,000 kilometers, placing food stations and setting up humane traps to catch the dog. 

To build trust, they gradually introduced familiar items like Valerie’s toys and her owners’ worn clothing, so the trap would feel and smell like home. Finally, on April 25, 2025, after several failed attempts, Valerie was safely captured in one of the traps.

She was found in good health, having gained 1.8 kilograms during her time in the wild.

A much-awaited reunion

After spending 529 days alone in the wild, Valerie likely experienced physical and emotional stress, so she was kept in a safehouse. Staying in a safe house gave her time to readjust to human contact and domestic life before reuniting with her owners.

When Gardner and Fishlock were informed about Valerie’s successful rescue, they were elated. The week following her rescue, they flew to Kangaroo Island to finally meet their princess. 

“We’re extremely grateful for all of the community on Kangaroo Island. They’ve been so lovely to us. We were just tourists. They’re just a group of volunteers, they all have their lives and their work responsibilities, and they’re putting in endless amounts of hours and we’re just so, so thankful to all of them,” Gardner said.

Valerie is now back home in Albury, adjusting to domestic life with the help of pet behaviorists. She has also been reintroduced to her family’s other pets, including a rescue cat, a cattle dog, and a new dachshund named Dorothy.

However, how a pet like Valerie remained healthy — or even alive for that matter — in a harsh environment remains a mystery. Some social media users believe she must have been fed by someone, and that’s how the dog survived. But the idea of a stranger consistently feeding a dog in the middle of a forest for over 500 days seems hard to believe.

“Ninety percent of people that have spoken to me have said someone must have been feeding and watering her for her to survive. By the colour of the coat, how shiny it was and the condition of the dog there’s no way known it could have come through however many days without being fed and watered,” Michael Pengilly, mayor of the Kangaroo Island region, told The Guardian.