After nearly a week of searching, Athena found her way home to her family in Florida in time for Christmas Eve, and even rang the doorbell.
Athena, a 4-year-old German shepherd/husky mix, escaped from her home in Green Cove Springs, Florida, on December 15th, prompting a search in the community and nearby towns. Athena's owner, Brooke Comer, said the family had gone to church that day and received a message from a neighbor with a photo of Athena outside their home.
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Comer panicked. When the family rushed home, they found Athena's collar in a wooden box with no visible hole through which Athena could slip out. How she escaped remains a mystery.
The events of the following week were also “unbelievable” for Comer, as neighbors and community members in nearby towns contacted her through her missing dog ad and posted videos and photos of where they thought they had found Athena. I sent it. Based on all the alerts Comer received, Athena likely traveled nearly 20 miles (32 kilometers) round trip during her disappearance.
This Friday, Dec. 27, 2024 photo provided by Brooke Comer shows 4-year-old Athena, a German Shepherd/Husky mix. At midnight on Christmas Eve 2024, Athena called home to her family in Florida. They rang the doorbell, ending a more than week-long search in her community. (Brooke Comer, via AP)
Each time an alarm was raised, Comer and his family would be on the scene within minutes, searching for Athena to no avail.
“She was the all-time grand champion of hide and seek,” Comer said. “Every time I saw it, my heart skipped a beat and I was honestly excited, but it broke your heart because we were always one step behind.”
For Comer, the entire search was a terrifying and frightening experience. I was worried about where my dog, which is naturally cautious, might have gone or if I had run into it. It lasted until 2:30 a.m. on Christmas Eve. That's when she got a Ring video notification on her doorbell and her other dog started barking.
“I was kind of dazed and the dog was barking and I heard that ringing sound and I immediately looked at my phone and as you can see in the video, it was Athena and she jumped up to the door and opened the door. I heard it ringing, the doorbell,” Comer said.
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As soon as Comer opened the door, Athena went inside and went to lick the face of her son, who was half asleep on the couch. She then quickly grabbed the ball and played with it, then quickly returned to her cage and went back to sleep.
Comer said the experience gave her a lot of hope as her neighbors and larger community have been searching for Athena for the past week. The next plan was to have Athena get a thorough exam, flea and tick treatments, and a microchip.
