Famous missing sausage dog caught on camera on Kangaroo Island

The infamous dachshund has made a surprise appearance. See the video.

The sausage dog with the most famous tale on Kangaroo Island has been caught on camera a day after the search party looking to rescue her said the mission was “looking positive”.

Valerie escaped from her playpen near Stokes Bay on Kangaroo Island as her owners Georgia Gardner and Josh Fishlock had left for a brief fishing trip on November 13, 2023.

Kangala Wildlife Rescue, who have been heading up the search for the sneaky sausage, shared the video to their Instagram.

“What an amazing sight to see Valerie popping up on one of our rescue cameras during the night in our search area,” the clip was captioned.

The video clearly shows the black and brown pooch running across a field.

Owners, Georgia Gardner and Josh Fishlock said the footage has left them “so excited”.

“We’re so close now, we just have to be patient,” Ms Gardner told The Advertiser on Friday.

Valerie the missing sausage dog on Kangaroo Island, with owners Georgia Gardner and Josh Fishlock. Picture: Supplied

After losing Valerie, the couple, who live interstate, searched in vain for Valerie in the following days.

“As a little bit more time passed, I was like ‘No, she’s actually missing, she’s gone, we might not get her back’,” Ms Gardner told The Advertiser.

“When we left the island without her, I cried for days.”

Since then 500 days have passed, with Valerie roaming the wilderness of Kangaroo Island avoiding capture.

However, Jared Karran from Kangala Wildlife Rescue told The Advertiser the years’ long search could soon lead to a reuniting.

“It’s looking positive,” he said.

Valerie escaped from her playpen while the couple were fishing. Picture: Supplied

“We’ve narrowed down a huge search area, to a smaller area, and now down to one point.

“We have set up surveillance and the feed areas, giving her delicious roast chicken and tuna.

“Valerie is coming in — we’ve seen her there as recent as Thursday morning on our cameras.

An image of Valerie running through the KI landscape. Picture: Supplied

“She’s looking amazing, there’s nothing we’re concerned about.

“She’s looking like a fit and healthy dog.”

Mr Karran said the plan was to lure Valerie to the same spot with food, enticing her to become comfortable enough for them to trap her.

“Fingers crossed she will fall into the trap,” he said.

“Hopefully it ends with a fairy tale.”

Valerie the missing sausage dog on KI. Picture: Supplied

The plight of lost Valerie has become a global news story, with Mr Karran reporting phone calls from London to Washington.

“It’s quite incredible this story has covered that much interest,” he said.

Qualified dog trainer and PhD candidate at University of Adelaide’s School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Tracey Taylor, said Valerie had most likely survived by scavenging over the last 500 days.

“Dogs are very good scavengers, but not as good hunters, so I would expect that Valerie is moving from farm to farm scavenging food where she can,” Ms Taylor said.

“She is a small dog so wouldn’t need a lot of food each day to survive.”

“By far the majority of the dogs on the planet do not live in homes, they live on the street, so many would be able to adapt to this lifestyle better than we would imagine.”