Bundled in a little blanket on a plush couch, a miniature dachshund named Valerie doesn’t quite look like a dog who recently survived more than 17 months in the Australian wilderness. Nestled between her owners, Georgia and Josh Fishlock, she’s the queen of the house. However, for 529 days, the 10-pound pooch was missing. During a camping trip to Kangaroo Island, Valerie wandered away from the campsite. She was microchipped and also had an Apple AirTag on her collar, but the island is sparsely populated and largely used for farming and livestock, and the tag needed Apple Bluetooth devices nearby to track her down. So, the couple did what others do when their pets go missing: They posted about her disappearance on Facebook. They also left some of Valerie’s clothes and toys near the spot where she ran off, switching the Air Tag into “lost” mode. Despite searching for days, the couple returned home, leaving the island without their beloved pet. They tried to hold out hope that someone would find the dog, but weeks turned into months with no word about Valerie. They tried not to focus on the fact that their pup had disappeared on an island that’s home to predators like snakes and eagles. Then, one day this past February, more than a year after Valerie had gone missing, a farmer on Kangaroo Island snapped a photo of a tiny dog running through the fields. That photo eventually made it to the Kangala Wildlife Rescue, who had been in contact with Valerie’s owners since she had gone missing, and shared it with them. Once the Fishlocks confirmed that the dog in the photo was Valerie, the rescue organization got to work trying to catch the dog. It was no small feat. They put out about a dozen of what they call “cat traps” — cages with food inside and a latch that closes when the animal goes in — but all they caught were brush trail possums, feral cats, and wallabies. Experimenting with a variety of traps, they eventually rigged up a big pen with a roof, several wildlife cameras, and a remote-controlled door. Inside, they put roast chicken, some of Valerie's toys, and clothing with her owners’ scents on them. They took the pen to the spot where Valerie had last been seen and waited. Sure enough, Valerie showed up, but she grabbed the food and darted back out before the door could be closed. Finally, after nearly two months, Valerie went in and volunteers were able to snap the door closed. After her capture, Valerie was taken to the vet, where she got a clean bill of health. No one is quite sure how the tiny dog survived so many days in the wild, but now that she’s back home, the Fishlocks say she’s back to normal, playing with her toys, cuddling with them, and going on walks like nothing ever happened.
