Key Takeaways:
- Valerie, a miniature dachshund, escaped from her owners while on holiday in Kangaroo Island, South Australia, and survived for 529 days in the wilderness.
- Despite her small size and pampered background, Valerie thrived in the wild, with theories suggesting she may have been fed by locals, survived on roadkill, or even received support from wild animals.
- A local wildlife rescue team, Kangala Wildlife Rescue, worked tirelessly to catch Valerie using camera traps and a customized dog crate, eventually succeeding after a "long, tough battle".
- Valerie was reunited with her owners and has since become an "official ambassador" for a dog product company, with various brand partnerships and a biopic dramatizing her rescue.
- Valerie’s story has inspired optimism and shown that even the most unlikely creatures can achieve extraordinary things.
Introduction to Valerie’s Story
Who among us hasn’t yearned, at least momentarily, to cast off the trappings of our comfortable lives and live wild, unfettered and free? This year, a charismatic Aussie sausage dog, Valerie, showed us the way. Valerie was a one-year-old miniature dachshund who lived a pampered life with her owner, Georgia Gardner, in New South Wales. She was a diminutive 15cm high, needed a ramp to get into bed, and wore a pink sweater in chilly weather. However, Valerie chose to swap her comfortable life for freedom in the dangerous wilds of Kangaroo Island, South Australia, escaping while Gardner and her boyfriend, Josh Fishlock, were on holiday there.
The Great Escape
Valerie’s audacious jailbreak happened when the couple took a brief trip to the beach, leaving their beloved chipolata behind in a cozy, seemingly secure, and well-equipped playpen. Not so – before they had even set up their fishing rods, a fellow camper came rushing to tell them she had escaped and had hidden under a truck, rebuffing locals’ coaxing approaches, before hot-tailing it to the hills. After five days searching for Valerie with the aid of local volunteers, the pair were forced to return home without her, which should have been the tragic end of the story. However, Valerie was an unlikely candidate to give Bear Grylls a run for his money, and her survival seemed slim to nonexistent.
Surviving the Wilderness
But, as it turned out, Valerie was a survivor. In February, 15 months after her disappearance, and following a number of reported sightings by locals, the couple received solid intel that the intrepid beast had been sighted alive and well, around 10 miles from where she first broke free. Contacted by Gardner to verify the news, Kangala Wildlife Rescue, a local organization headed by husband-and-wife team Jarrad and Lisa Karran, set up camera traps baited with roast chicken and sardines to tempt her, and waited. Their hard work was eventually rewarded with footage of the fugitive that swiftly went global. The footage showed Valerie frolicking into shot on her stumpy little legs, laser-focused on the care package left for her. She pounced on it with a savagery belying her size, and it was apparent she was not just surviving but thriving.
Theories on Valerie’s Survival
How on earth had she coped for so long in the unforgiving wilderness? Quizzed by the many media outlets avidly following every twist and turn of her tiny tail, locals gave their theories. Kangaroo Island mayor Michael Pengilly and many others believed someone must be feeding her. Wildlife guide Craig Wickham thought she was surviving on roadkill, commenting, "I doubt the sausage dog has become an apex predator." Professor Paul McGreevy, of the University of Sydney’s veterinary school, also weighed in: "Hypothetically, she could eat birds, frogs, and mice … unfortunately, the reality is that dogs are opportunists and they will eat faecal material." Whatever she was doing, it seemed to suit her.
The Rescue Efforts
Despite being on the lam and living on her wits for over a year, Valerie seemed entirely happy. She showed no desire to be rescued and fled at the sight of people or vehicles; Kangala described her as "impossible to catch". Professor McGreevy provided a pithy theory as to why she was resisting arrest: back pain. "If I was the shape of a dachshund, with a predisposition to a bad back … they get scooped up a lot and often have awful back pain. No wonder it’s telling everyone to fuck off." Local resident Louise Custance suggested that Valerie "decided she didn’t want to go back to the city. She liked the island lifestyle, and she’s probably had some support from farm animals or wildlife to stay alive." While Kangala co-director Lisa Karran said that probably, "possums or cats out there were grooming her".
The Successful Rescue
After what the Karrans described as a "long, tough, battle", they hit on a successful sausage-trapping strategy with cameras and a tricked-out dog crate: "Her own little room with her toys and bed from home, mum’s clothing, hidden food and challenges to keep her entertained" and, crucially, a remotely operated door. Valerie started to visit the crate and seemed to like it: "We have seen an amazing change in Valerie’s demeanour recently as she begins to remember all those familiar smells, tastes and sounds," Kangala reported on its Facebook page. After a few visits, her fate was sealed. "It all worked perfectly," said Jared Karran. After 529 days in the wilderness and an estimated 1,000 hours of volunteer time, her adventure was over.
Reunion and Aftermath
The moment of Valerie’s rescue was captured on video: she gives the camera an unbothered glance, apparently accepting the fait accompli: "She just curled up and went to sleep," Jared Karran said. Kangala staff were concerned that Valerie’s battle to survive might have triggered "lost dog syndrome" – a stress response which could make her fearful and uninterested in humans; locals speculated she might have gone feral. But first contact at the trap went better than expected. "She was up at the front, barking and communicating with us," Lisa Karran said. Back at the refuge, she was swiftly fitted with an "anti-escape harness" (pink, of course). Valerie, living the VIP life, was reunited with her owners and has since become an "official ambassador" for a dog product company, with various brand partnerships and a biopic dramatizing her rescue.
Conclusion
Valerie’s story has inspired optimism and shown that even the most unlikely creatures can achieve extraordinary things. Despite her small size and pampered background, Valerie thrived in the wild, and her survival is a testament to her resilience and adaptability. As we reflect on Valerie’s journey, we are reminded that we all have the capacity to surprise ourselves and achieve great things, even in the most challenging circumstances. Long may Valerie continue to thrive, and may her story inspire us all to be a little more brave, a little more resourceful, and a little more open to the possibilities that life has to offer.