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Dog found after 529 days of being lost on an island (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 day ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

40 comments fedilink hide all child comments

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/28754203

The 8-pound dog went missing on the rugged Kangaroo Island in Australia in November 2023 while on vacation with her owners. After a 529-day search, the pup is finally safe and back in human care.

"After weeks of tireless efforts by Kangala Wildlife Rescue volunteers and partner organizations, Valerie has been safely rescued and is fit and well. We are absolutely thrilled and deeply relieved that Valerie is finally safe and able to begin her transition back to her loving parents, Josh and Georgia."

You can read more HERE.

top 40 comments

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 35 minutes ago

The team had several close calls trying to bring her in, including one instance when Valerie came into the rescue site only to find a group of possums chowing down on her treats, which caused her to leave before volunteers could capture her.

That tracks.

Article is worth it for the pics alone.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 18 hours ago

If they would have just kept at it, they'd have put in their 10,000 hours and become experts at finding that dog.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 18 hours ago

And of course it's a wiener,.always doing what they want. They're awesome

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 day ago

If my corgi would go missing in such a tour you can bet your ass I'm not leaving that fucking island before I got her back.

[–] [email protected] 71 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Dog: “I was lost? I thought you were lost.”

[–] [email protected] 8 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago)

"can we play in the woods some more?"

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 day ago

“I heard you calling my name, so I knew you were ok.”

[–] [email protected] 44 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Weiner dogs are vicious skilled predators. Didn't turn your back to one.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 16 hours ago

What was the book with the vampire dachshund?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago

Just don't

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I wonder if I got lost people would go these lengths to find me.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 14 hours ago

I think the cops just assume people are dead if they're missing for this long. I mean, they might still search a bit but probably just with cadaver dogs.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 day ago

I'd be dead long before then. Especially in Australia.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Big island if they spent 1000 years searching on it, lemme tells ya

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 day ago

hours

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Link to the article, not the image

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It's in the linked post.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

TBF, Voyager doesn't make it obvious. Maybe they're using a Lemmy app with a similar issue.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 13 hours ago

? Maybe it's something adjustable in the settings?

I'm on Voyager.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 day ago (4 children)

Crazy the dog survived that long. Curious what food they found to survive.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

On an island with ample food sources it really isn’t all that crazy, compared to the many things I have heard of dogs surviving.

There was a dog that got lost on Saint Lawrence Island in the winter, which apparently crossed the sea ice all the way to Wales, AK over 160 miles away. I think they believe the dog managed to catch and eat birds along the way, as there was quite literally nothing else he could have eaten.

That is quite insane. I cant imagine how I would survive on foot trying to make it 160 miles away, let alone if that entire 160 miles was just barren ice

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 day ago

I believe there's a fairly popular documentary about a pair of lost dogs and cat who make their way back home after being lost.

https://youtu.be/ceOXz_DVLCA

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I don't question the dog hunting abilities, but really there is not a predator in Australia that could have taken the dog in that time frame? I am more impressed about that.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 19 hours ago

On kangaroo island, not really. Maybe a tiger snake, but they're generally not too aggressive unless provoked.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 16 hours ago

Rare birds.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 1 day ago

It's a hunting dog. Most likely rats and similar.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 day ago

The kibble tree

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Am I the only one who feels sorry for the dog? I suspect she'd have been happier on the island, given how hard she worked to evade humans and recapture.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 day ago

That running away from humans is a survival mechanism is what many rescuers say. One of them even coined the term Lost Dog Syndrome.

TL;DR: The dog is in survival / ferel mode and it is suspicious of anything other than itself. Providing a safe space and slowly introducing back to humans actually change it's behaviour into a calm and friendly one.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I'm sure the dog was having the time of her life! I do wander if part of the reason for the effort might have been worry about the ecological effects of the dog.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yep, thats it.

Lots of conservation areas and a national park. A "529 day search" was the weekly briefing for the National Parks staff including "Hey, nobodys found that dog yet. Keep an eye out."

[–] [email protected] 2 points 13 hours ago

My first thought reading the post was "what the fuck, they call off searches for humans long before 529 days." Then I read the article, and read a bit about the island. This part stood out to me in an ABC article:

Kangala Wildlife Rescue said Valerie would often drop in to the rescue site, before wandering off for days.

So they knew she was alive, because they had surveillance camera footage of her wandering through the rescue site over and over. It's not like they had search teams trekking through the wilderness for 529 days straight.

[+] [email protected] -8 points 1 day ago (3 children)

All the joy from that ~~puppy~~ dog eyes is gone.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 day ago

The photo looks like an adoration stare. I've known multiple dogs that do it. It's either the equivalent of a loving hug between humans, or an attempt to con someone out of some food.

Dogs are a lot more "in the moment" than humans. They remember traumatic events, but are far less reactive to them, unless something explicitly sets off the memories.

Basically, the dog is either very happy to be spending time with its pack leader again, or just wants the treat they are holding behind the camera.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

I don't think it's a before and after photo, but the one on the right has raised eyebrows indicating captivation.

[+] [email protected] -14 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Those eyes say "I'm sorry. I'll never run off when you say no ever again...."

Those eyes also tell a story of sadness and a tramatic experience.

What that puppy may not realize at the time of this photo, is that his story is to be filled with the most overprotective, spoiling, snuggling humans ever. Whoever cares for this little guy may not ever let him out of their sight, but it's only because they will be as scared as the dog is, for the rest of the dogs life. Hopefully a nonverbal communication will translate to the dog that it's for his own good.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Those eyes say nothing like that. You have no real clue what these eyes say. You just like to anthropomorphize this dog and attach your own human narrative to it. You're free to do it, just don't state it as fact.