Like Britons, Australians love to root for the underdog, so it is perhaps no surprise that the country is agog at the hunt for Valerie. Lost on an island infested with venomous snakes and predatory birds, she has defied the odds to survive for 515 days. This is especially impressive since, in this case, underdog is a literal description: Valerie is a dachshund.
The search for the pet, who escaped from her owners on a camping trip to Kangaroo Island in 2023, has intensified since she was spotted alive three weeks ago. It has dominated the news down under and involves high-tech trickery, a team of local volunteers and custom-designed traps. The result? So far, not a sausage.
The island is infested with poisonous pygmy copperhead snakes
Is this the right approach, though? If Valerie wants to return to her owners, fine: but while she runs free, it’s hard not to have a sneaking admiration for this 6in-high embodiment of Australia’s much-lauded larrikin spirit. Our cousins may be barking up the wrong tree.
The dachshund’s desperate owners remain hopeful they will be reunited
