LITTLE DOG.BIG ADVENTURE!

INSIDE THE ENORMOUS RESCUE EFFORTS TO REUNITE THE PET WITH HER FAMILY AFTER 529 DAYS LOST IN THE WILDERNESS

- Carolyn Hiblen

The search for Valerie the miniature dachshund was the good news story that had people the world over glued to their screens. To the astonishment of everyone, the tiny 3.6kg pup survived in the elements for 529 days after slipping away from her family during a camping trip on Kangaroo Island, off the coast of South Australia.

The saga began in November 2023, while the then 1-year-old sausage dog from Albury, NSW, was enjoying a holiday with her owners, Georgia Gardner and Josh Fishlock. Leaving her in a playpen while they went fishing on their second day, they returned to discover Valerie had escaped.

The couple spent five days searching for their beloved fur baby to no avail, before reluctantly heading home without her, certain she would have fallen foul of the island's dangerous wildlife, which includes two venomous snake species and wedge-tailed eagles.

Just when all hope had been lost, in mid-March 2025, 16 months after Valerie went missing, Georgia and Josh got the surprise of their lives. Residents of Stokes Bay - about 14km from where Valerie went missing - reported seeing a dachshund with a distinct pink collar running wild.