Impossible survivor dachshund spotted again, but locals say she’s grown too powerful and must be killed

When Valerie the dachshund escaped her pen and ran into the bush on Australia’s Kangaroo Island everyone assumed she was done for. The seven-pound Valerie wasn’t an “outside dog”, the island is teeming with deadly flora and fauna, and there’s precious little food. But, against all the odds, Valerie survived.

Now, around a year and a half after she abandoned civilization, Valerie may be on the cusp of returning home. She’d previously been spotted on CCTV and has now been seen sniffing around a trap and “capering” with a food box left out for her. In a video posted by Kangala Wildlife Rescue, Valerie is seen trying to get into a food box, wagging her tail happily:

Having zeroed in on roast chicken as her favorite snack, they’re constructing a “little room” for her containing her old toys from home, her dog bed, and some of her owner’s clothing. The hope is that, even after so long fighting to stay alive, Valerie will recall her old life and stick around to be reunited with her beloved owners.

As the rescuers say: “We have seen an amazing change in Valerie’s demeanour recently as she begins to remember all those familiar smells, tastes and sounds.”

But there are concerns that Valerie has seen too much. In interviews with island residents, some are convinced she’s traveled too far down a hard road and can no longer be the “little princess” her owners remember. “She’ll be feral” one said, doubtless picturing Valerie raging at home as she battles the demons of her survival adventure.

Prof Paul McGreevy, of the University of Sydney’s veterinary school said the attempts to catch her may have resulted in her developing a burning resentment of human beings in general, saying “If I was the shape of a dachshund, with a predisposition to a bad back … they get scooped up a lot and often have awful back pain. No wonder it’s telling everyone to f**k off” and that “chances are she’s more resourceful, and she may have learned some phobia of humans. She’s not the same dog that the owners last saw, that’s for sure.”

Another simply said, “She should be euthanised”. Killing a dog that dodged death at every turn for 18 months seems cruel, but perhaps Valerie has simply become too powerful to be contained by traditional human means, and we cannot hold her securely.

Here’s hoping that Valerie’s soul and spirit remain intact and that very soon this unlikely tale of canine cunning, indomitable will, and surprisingly resourcefulness will come to an end – hopefully along with some long overdue snuggles from her owners.