After being on the lam for 529 days, Valerie the dog finally rescued

Valerie, a tiny wiener dog with a pink collar, first went missing in November 2023 after she escaped from her pen on an Australian beach.

After 529 days on the lam, Valerie the miniature dachshund has finally been rescued.

Valerie, a tiny wiener dog with a pink collar, first went missing in November 2023 after she escaped from her pen on a beach on Kangaroo Island in South Australia and ran off into the bush in the surrounding Stokes Bay.

Her owners, with the help of locals and staff at Kangala Wildlife Rescue, spent the next five days searching for their furry friend before giving up and going home to New South Wales.

And while lost dogs often capture hearts, Valerie captured international attention as the world watched and waited, following along closely after several sightings were reported in recent months.

“Valerie has been safely rescued and is fit and well,” Kangala Wildlife Rescue announced on its Facebook group on Friday night, sharing that a well-worn T-shirt that once belonged to Valerie’s owner was key to her rescue.

“We were able to rip little strips off of it, and we started the process of just adding more and more bits towards the trap site as we went along,” Lisa Karran, one of Kangala’s directors, said in a video shared on the social media platform, explaining that the final rescue came when Valerie’s curiosity got the better of her and she became interested in the cage, which was outfitted with toys, a bed, hidden food and more clothing from her owners.

Eventually, Karran explained, the tiny dog began entering the cage and, at one point, while she sniffed around for the hidden food, they were able to remotely trigger the cage’s door closed.

Knowing the dog would likely be nervous and shy after her time running free, Karran said she put on the now “tatty” shirt and began to approach the dog, making a slow introduction.