MELBOURNE, Australia — Valerie, a miniature dachshund misplaced for 18 months — or round half her life — on an Australian island, has been reunited together with her house owners, her rescuers mentioned Wednesday.
Proprietor Georgia Gardner mentioned her pet approached with out hesitation once they have been reunited by Kangala Wildlife Rescue on Kangaroo Island off the coast of South Australia state on Tuesday for the primary time since November 2023.
“She ran straight up to me — I just burst into tears,” Gardner mentioned in an announcement launched on Wednesday.
“She was wagging her tail, making her little happy sounds and wiggling around with joy. I held her and cried and cried,” Gardner added.
The just about 3-year-old Valerie was trapped on April 25 in remarkably good situation after 529 days spent residing like a feral animal. Valerie had weighted 4 kilograms (9 kilos) when she was misplaced and now weighs 6.8 kilograms (15 kilos). There’s hypothesis that she survived on street kill and animal droppings.
Gardner and her accomplice, Josh Fishlock, had been holidaying on the island and have been away from their campsite fishing when their pet escaped from a pen. The couple searched however finally needed to return to the mainland with out her.
Volunteers from Kangala Wildlife Rescue, a not-for-profit service, noticed the distinctive addition to the Australian wilderness in March.
She was captured after volunteers spent an estimated 1,000 hours looking out whereas protecting 5,000 kilometers (3,000 miles) of the island.
Having seen video digicam pictures of the canine sniffing a lure final month, Kangala Wildlife Rescue director Jared Karran mentioned he was stunned by how small she was in actuality.
“If it was a miracle that she’s survived — seeing her size — it’s just unbelievable that she was able to survive and thrive out there,” Karran mentioned.
Gardner and Fishlock will drive Valerie again to their residence in Albury in New South Wales state.
Garner mentioned she had been working with a canine behaviorist to assist Valerie transition to residence life. Valerie will probably be saved on a uncooked meals food plan “considering her incredible condition when she was found,” Gardner mentioned.
In Albury, Valerie will probably be reunited with rescue cat Lucy and cattle canine Mason. She may also be launched to her house owners’ new dachshund, Dorothy.
