The power of the owner’s T-shirt scent helped a dog reunite with him after 529 days.
According to BBC, a miniature dachshund, Valerie, has been found alive and well after surviving 529 days in the Australian wilderness following “round-the-clock” efforts of the Kangala Wildlife Rescue.
The dog, which was lost after a camping trip with the owner in November 2023, was found after almost one and a half years on Kangaroo Island, off the coast of Australia.
During the camping, the dog’s owner, Georgia Gardner and her boyfriend, Joshua Fishlock, momentarily left her in a playpen and went fishing, but when they returned, Valerie was gone.
After surviving 529 days in the wilderness in intense heat and venomous snakes, she was found with the help of Gardner's t-shirt to create a "scent trail" to a trap.
How Gardner's T-shirt helps rescue workers
Lisa Karran, a director of Kangala, in a 15-minute video posted on social media, explained the "rollercoaster" rescue of Valerie.
Mr Karran said, “Of all dogs, that would be the last one I would say would survive out there, but they do have a good sense of smell. She went right into the back corner, which is where we wanted her. I pressed the button, and thankfully, it all worked perfectly.”
“I know people were a little bit frustrated, like 'why is it taking so long?' But these are the things that we were doing in the background,” he added.
As per the charity, volunteers spent more than 1,000 hours searching for Valerie, covering more than 5,000km (3,109 miles). The rescue efforts included surveillance cameras and a trap cage with a remote door system filled with food, Gardner's clothes and some of Valerie's toys from home.
