Kangaroo Island rescuers Kangala Wildlife Rescue share story of how Valerie the missing sausage dog was found on Kangaroo Island

Two nights since her legendary capture, Kangala Wildlife Rescue’s directors and volunteers have shared the first picture of the mischievous dachshund Valerie. Click to see.

Valerie is the picture of health in her first official portrait since her legendary capture on Anzac Day.

The Advertiser has been granted an exclusive first look at the image of the miniature dachshund with Kangala Wildlife Rescue’s co-director and volunteer Lisa Karran.

“We expected to see something more skittish and scared of everything,” Mrs Karran said.

“She’s still jumpy at things because everything is new again.

“She’s done really well – she seems happy, tail wagging.”

Kangala Wildlife Rescue’s co-director and volunteer Jared Karran said Valerie, who was missing on Kangaroo Island for 529 days, was found 15km away from Stokes Bay but that her “little legs” have done plenty more miles than that.

“There’s reported sightings all the way up to Pioneer Bend which is even further up,” he said.

While she waits to be picked up by her parents, Georgia Gardner and Josh Fishlock over the next week, the husband and wife duo said Valerie will spend her time “decompressing” and has been enjoying meat patties from local shop, Millie Mae’s Pantry.

Valerie with Kangala Wildlife Rescuer Lisa Karran after her rescue. Picture: Kangala Wildlife Rescue

“We want to get her happy, we want to get her in the best condition for us to hand her back over,” Mr Karran said.

“As far as what it’s going to look like for a reunion, that’s something that we’ve still got to work through and it will depend a lot on how Valerie is travelling.”

On Saturday, the Kangaroo Island rescuers who finally caught Valerie the elusive miniature dachshund 529 days after she went missing shared the moment they captured the nomadic pup.

In a video posted on their social media accounts on Saturday, Kangala Wildlife Rescue directors and volunteers Mr and Mrs Karran said the experience was “a rollercoaster ride”.

Speaking exclusively to the Sunday Mail, Mr Karran confirmed that the rescue occurred on Thursday night near Stokes Bay and that Valerie was “in really good condition”.

Since her capture, the cheeky little hound is being kept out of the public eye until owners Georgia Gardner and Josh Fishlock arrive from Albury, NSW.

“We have been liaising with vets during this whole rescue and we had plans in place of what was going to happen in every circumstance,” volunteer wildlife rescuer Mr Karran said.

“She’ll obviously need to be wormed and all those sorts of things, but there’s no health concerns.”

Mr Karran, who is a police officer, said Valerie’s temperament towards strangers had changed drastically during the trapping mission.

“It was our goal to do that, but there’s no way I thought it was going to turn out that well,” he said. “This little dog’s gone from this super edgy little thing on camera to a cuddly little pet on the end of your bed.”

As explained in their video, Mr Karran said the remote-control trapping system that the charity manufactured itself was the key to the group’s success. “I pressed the button, and thankfully it all worked perfectly,” Mr Karran said.

“Valerie handled all of that quite well, considering (she’s) a dog who has been out there so long (she) took it in her stride.”

Kangala Wildlife Rescue directors and rescue volunteers Jared and Lisa Karran said sausage dog Valerie remains in good spirits two nights since her capture. Picture: Brett Hartwig

Over the past few weeks, the rescue team had been preparing or this moment, using pieces of a T-shirt from Ms Gardner and toys from home to direct her to the trap.

When the pup was caught, Mrs Karran and other volunteers headed to the trap. “The most amazing thing was that she was never running away at the back of the cage, she was up the front, she was barking, communicating with us,” she said.

“There was never fear or shrinking back, which was amazing to see.”

Mrs Karran, who has been a passionate wildlife warrior for years, said Valerie’s survival instinct was what kept the nearly three-year-old pup alive.

“When survival mode happens, the dog is still there, their personality, everything, it just takes time,” she said.

As the barking stopped, Mrs Karran and another volunteer entered the cage.

“It was basically on her cues on what to do,” she said.

“We had roast chicken and her favourite dog food, as well, and those were the first things to help her recognise that we were safe and not a threat.”

Kangala Wildlife Rescue on Kangaroo Island. Picture: Brett Hartwig

Valerie was captured near Stokes Bay on Kangaroo Island. Picture: Brett Hartwig

Screenshot of Kangala Wildlife Rescue directors and rescue volunteers, Jared and Lisa Karran talking about Valerie's rescue. Picture: Kangala Wildlife Rescue

Over time, Mrs Karran said Valerie began to sniff the volunteers and was eventually “snuggled up in (their) laps”.

“I was blown away watching it,” Mr Karran said.

After three hours of sitting with Valerie, the Kangala Wildlife Rescue team removed her from the cage to where she is now staying in Kangaroo Island until her family are able to pick her up.

“We’re seeing things that she will need to get through, but considering what it could have been, I think we’re all pretty surprised at how well its gone,” Mr Karran said.

“With dogs that have been lost for a long time, they learn that they don’t need to eat every day, so their stomachs shrink …(so) lots of little feeds.”

The Kangala team remains astounded by the global attention Valerie has drawn, with Mr Karran hoping people will continue to follow their rescue stories.

The not-for-profit organisation was founded in the wake of the 2020 Kangaroo Island bushfires, with its 24/7 rescue services and sanctuary fully run by volunteers.

“Everyone probably thinks that there was a huge amount of money that flowed in for this, but it is only in the last couple of days that we’ve actually covered our expenses on this rescue,” Mr Karran said.

“There was a large outlay on her rescue in technology, cameras, all that sort of stuff, so anything that we get going forward will obviously go towards our ongoing wildlife work here.

Originally published as Kangaroo Island rescuers Kangala Wildlife Rescue share story of how Valerie the missing sausage dog was found on Kangaroo Island