Tears of joy as Valerie the runaway dachshund finally reunited with owners

CNN Valerie the dachshund has decisively been reunited with her owners after surviving days alone on Kangaroo Island in South Australia Owners Georgia Gardner and Josh Fishlock described the moment they got to hold the tiny pup in their arms in a announcement published Wednesday Gardner explained she burst into tears when Valerie ran up to her as they saw each other again for the first time on Tuesday She was wagging her tail making her little happy sounds and wiggling around with ecstasy I held her and cried and cried she stated in the announcement She s stockier now strong and healthy healthier than we are honestly added Gardner Fishlock declared the pair hadn t expected to see Valerie again It still doesn t feel real he commented in the comment Valerie who will soon celebrate her third birthday went missing on a camping trip to the island in November When strangers tried to help she fled into the undergrowth and her owners eventually gave up and returned home to the mainland With no sightings it was assumed Valerie had met her match with a snake or perhaps one of the giant Rosenberg s goannas reptiles up to meters feet long that occupy the island However reports of sightings started to emerge sparking a massive search operation led by contributors from the Kangala Wildlife Rescue a non-profit group set up in following the devastating Australian bushfires Valerie was eventually revealed on April and has been looked after by the charity since Director Jared Karran described Valerie as truly something special She was just so much smaller than we imagined If it was a miracle before that she d survived seeing her size it s just unbelievable that she was able to survive and thrive out there he commented in the report Home to around people Kangaroo Island is about minutes from the mainland by ferry Tourists go there to see Australian native wildlife but functionaries have long had a difficulty controlling introduced species including feral cats The island is thick with bush and there are various places for a small dog to hide Another difficulty is the island s vibrant ecosystem according to the charity One of the reasons this is such a challenging rescue and not as easy as just baiting and setting traps is due to the fact we are constantly competing with hundreds of wildlife like possums wallabies kangaroos goannas and feral cats All which are all just after a feed also the group disclosed in a post on Facebook before the little dog was exposed Now Valerie is preparing to return home to Albury New South Wales where she will be reunited with Gardner and Fishlock s other pets Lucy the rescue cat Mason the red heeler and their latest addition Dorothy a fellow dachshund