Originally published: Australian Dog Lover, 23 October 2025
From Escapee to Expert: Runaway Dachshund Valerie Appointed Chief Escape Officer as Life360 Unleashes Pet GPS Tracker
Valerie, the viral sausage dog who survived 500+ days on the run, will use her expertise to help keep Australia’s ‘houndinis‘ safe.
After pulling off ‘mission im-paw-sible’—surviving more than 500 days on the run on Kangaroo Island—and capturing the hearts of a nation, Australia’s most famous sausage dog, Valerie, is back in the headlines with a fancy new job and a crucial mission: helping Life360 launch its new Pet GPS tracker.
The need for this new tech is clear. New research* from family connection and safety app Life360 reveals Australia is home to countless ‘houndinis‘ and ‘meowtlaws‘—with almost half (42%) of cats and dogs having gone missing and 14% being repeat offenders. To combat this, Life360 has appointed Valerie as its first-ever Chief Escape Officer(CEO).
With a special interest in the one in ten (11%) escapes that remain a complete mystery, Valerie’s first call of business is to champion the new Life360 Pet GPS tracker and its recovery tools.
*Research conducted by Pureprofile on behalf of Life360 in August and September 2025, surveying a nationally representative sample of over 2,000 Australian pet owners.
