A runaway dog named Valerie was captured after a 529-day adventure and roamed an island with kangaroos, opossums, koala bears and penguins in Australia.
Since November 2023, miniature dachshunds have avoided searchers on Kangaroo Island and rarely appear in blurred glimpses of pink collars captured by night cameras.
"Valerie was rescued safely and alive," the wildlife group spent months tracking down cunning dogs on the southern Australian island, said Friday afternoon.
Kangala Wildlife Rescue posted on social media and briefly introduced short clips of dogs.
Valerie escaped while camping with owner Georgia Gardner and her partner Josh Fishlock, rushing into the bush from the pen.
Her owner gave up after several days of searching on the island, which spans over more than 4,400 square kilometers (1,700 square miles) of farms, natural reserves and rugged cliffs.
The missing hybrid has not been more than a year and many have little hope for her survival.
Then, video surveillance and locals began to discover her, and volunteers launched a patient pursuit for the hound, which seemed to have escaped from people and cars.
Wildlife rescuers posted on social media last month: "It seems impossible for Valerie to get into trouble."
Invested over 1,000 hours, volunteer searchers drove over 3,100 miles and deployed cameras, traps and decoys.
"This rescue is a true testament to the dedication and perseverance of our team, the strong support of the community, and the power of collaboration," Kangala Wildlife Rescue wrote. "There have been many challenging moments over the past month and we are very grateful to everyone who has brought Valerie home."
Regular online updates make them want them to shut down gradually.
The black and white video snatch shows Valerie regularly visits a trap website with dog boxes, blankets and toys - although the facilities also attract opossums.
“Very grateful”
Eventually, Kangala directors Jared and Lisa Karran said in the video update that the tear strips of the shirt worn by her owner, Georgia, were drawn into the crate by the seductive smell.
"She was walking around and found almost no food all over the place. Then she walked to the back corner, which was where we wanted her."
“I pressed the button and thankfully everything worked well: the remote dropped the door and it was all fixed.”
Lisa Karran is with her when the four-legged escape artist gets used to her new environment.
But she entered from the top to avoid opening the side door.
"We definitely won't let that sausage dog escape us again," Jared said.
Back in civilization, Valerie is sent to dog food and her favorite roast chicken.
Jared said she was very young.
"I think she looks big on the camera. She's very small when I see her in real life. She has an inch of gap in her belly calf."
According to the American Kennel Club, the dachshund is “anything” despite its modest size.
It says: "Being independent hunters of dangerous prey, they may be brave enough to reach a point of rashness, a little stubborn."
Valerie's owner Gardner said in a social media post that she expressed "very grateful" to the volunteers who helped find the dog.
“For those who have lost their pets, your feelings are effective and never give up hope.”