Valerie, a petite dachshund, set out on an incredible journey that won the affection of many. Weighing just four kilograms, Valerie managed to slip away from her camping enclosure at Stokes Bay on Kangaroo Island in November 2023, while her owners were just a short distance away. Nearby campers inadvertently scared her, prompting Valerie to dash into the island’s wilderness. After a thorough search, her owners, Georgia Gardner and Josh Fishlock, reluctantly went back to their home in Albury, New South Wales, thinking they would never see her again. However, 529 days later, Valerie was discovered, healthy and grateful to be back with her family.<\/p>\n
Kangaroo Island posed numerous obstacles for Valerie. The island, famous for its rough landscape, is home to various predators and rivals like venomous snakes, wedge-tailed eagles, and feral cats. Valerie, nevertheless, survived by possibly snacking on skinks, mice, and even roadkill. The absence of foxes and dingoes on the island worked in her favor, eliminating two common threats.<\/p>\n
Surprisingly, Valerie\u2019s diminutive size played a role in her survival. Small dogs need fewer calories, can navigate quickly, and might be less attractive to larger predators. Her previous experiences with food puzzles and enrichment toys could have inadvertently equipped her for the challenges ahead, as suggested by ethologist Marc Bekoff.<\/p>\n
Dachshunds possess a rich history as independent and daring hunters, bred specifically to tackle badgers in their burrows, which may have contributed to Valerie\u2019s tenacity. Even though Valerie was treated like an “absolute princess” at home, her breed’s instinctive characteristics likely helped her endure.<\/p>\n
Valerie was ultimately rescued thanks to the dedication of Kangala Wildlife Rescue volunteers, who logged more than 1,000 hours and traveled approximately 5,000 kilometers. A trap was crafted using Valerie\u2019s familiar bedding and toys, while her owner\u2019s scent led her to safety. A last-minute suggestion from a Canadian doctor to add a slide bar to the trap door ensured that Valerie wouldn\u2019t escape once she was captured.<\/p>\n
While some speculate that Valerie may have received help during her time away, those involved in her rescue reject the notion. Valerie\u2019s extraordinary journey and glorious return have eased her separation anxiety, enabling her to relish life with her family and even engage in tug of war with the family’s other dachshund, graciously allowing her to win despite her newfound vigor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Valerie, a petite dachshund, set out on an incredible journey that won the affection of many. Weighing just four kilograms, Valerie managed to slip away from her camping enclosure at Stokes Bay on Kangaroo Island in November 2023, while her owners were just a short distance away. Nearby campers inadvertently scared her, prompting Valerie to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":375706,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[179],"class_list":["post-375705","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-source-scienceblog-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wolfscientific.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375705","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wolfscientific.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wolfscientific.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wolfscientific.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wolfscientific.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=375705"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wolfscientific.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375705\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wolfscientific.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/375706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wolfscientific.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=375705"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wolfscientific.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=375705"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wolfscientific.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=375705"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}