Some answers:
Quote:Valerie's survival has amazed experts and her family alike. At under 4kg, she's managed to evade eagles, snakes, and the harsh Australian elements.
Wildlife rescuers suspect she survived on dam water and a diet of roadkill and native animals—resources surprisingly abundant on the island.
Her small size, speed, and sharp instincts have likely helped her avoid predators and human rescuers alike, making her a survivor, but also an elusive target.
You see, until her capture, it seemed Valerie either did not know how to come home, or was wilfully avoiding it.
Local resident and animal lover Louise Custance told The Guardian that Valerie probably "decided that 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… to find water."
The search for Valerie has been long and hard, with many traps set around the region to capture her.
The traps didn’t work. Rescuers instead made it a “comfort room” for Valerie:
Quote:Early attempts to catch her with food-lured cages failed — Valerie would nibble at the bait but never trigger the trap, and she'd bolt at the first sign of people or vehicles.
Part of the issue was rescuers couldn't set any traps that could hold her in place due to the risk of accidentally capturing local wildlife instead.
Recognising her intelligence and skittishness, rescuers transformed a trap into a comforting space, filling it with her favourite toys, her mum's clothing, and familiar scents. This "little room" helped Valerie build confidence, and she started regularly visiting the site.
Sometimes she would disappear for up to six days, but she would always return.
To outsmart their clever quarry, the team developed a remote-controlled trap system. Using mobile phone alerts, rescuers hoped to close the trap at exactly the right moment, finally bringing Valerie home.
I hate this sloppy sentimentality: Georgia is NOT Valerie’s mother.
Article continues:
Quote:As someone with two sausage dogs myself, I just know that Valerie was both brave and ferocious during her time on the run.
Dachshunds, which originated in . . . the 15th century, were bred to hunt badgers and other burrowing animals, often which were the same size or larger than them.
For this reason, they were designed to be brave, tenacious and willing to confront animals larger and more dangerous than themselves.
Sausage dogs, while cuddly at home, are independent, stubborn and wary of strangers, making them very suited to evading[,] escape, and choosing survival over submission to the elements or unknown humans.
Some dachshunds maybe. Seems Valerie fits this description.
Quote:The Kangala Wildlife Rescue team and its volunteers have poured countless hours into rescue efforts — and now this cheeky pet will be returning home.
The tiny sausage dog was finally captured on April 25. Remarkably, Valerie was found in excellent condition despite her extended adventure in the wild. The almost three-year-old pup was rescued by the team at Kangala Wildlife Rescue, who provided round-the-clock care before the emotional reunion with her owners Georgia Gardner and partner Josh Fishlock on Tuesday, May 6th.
A three year old dog, almost Socks’ age, is a fully grown dog, not a pup! Sloppy sentimental language, bah!
https://www.mamamia.com.au/valerie-sausage-dog-kangaroo-island/The digestive system of a dog is short and simple, allowing them to eat food, shall we say, well past its best before date. Unless Valerie learned to stalk or found burrowing native animals roadkill is not a totally safe foodsource to be the main source of nutrition. Intestinal worms etc a real worry as are other digestive tract illnesses. In the Australian summer roadkill rapidly moves past a safe to eat zone. Guess Valerie learned what was safe and what should be avoided—her nose would have helped there.
Eaters of roadkill need to be careful not to become roadkill themselves. There is a wildlife sanctuary near Launceston I visited in my first trip to the island Aug 2016: Tasmanian Devil feeding time was approaching and the tour guide explained that they used very fresh roadkill for some of the food, frozen until needed—and Devils are scavengers, built to eat already dead animals!
Pretty amazing “Call of the Wild” stuff but for real.
A somewhat less airy fairy description:
Quote:Prof Paul McGreevy, of the University of Sydney’s veterinary school, says he’s not surprised that Valerie’s “still chugging around”, likely living off carrion and other animals’ poo. Nor is he surprised that she seems to be avoiding the humans who would end her island adventure.
“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,” he says.
When asked about how domestic dogs might go feral, he says it depends on whether Valerie has been frightened by people trying to grab her. “Chances are she’s more resourceful, and she may have learned some phobia of humans,” he says.
“She’s not the same dog that the owners last saw, that’s for sure.”
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/apr/05/valerie-the-daschund-kang...
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