Athena managed to find her way back to her Florida family just in time for Christmas Eve after a nearly weeklong search. She even rang the doorbell upon her return.
Athena, a 4-year-old German Shepherd and Husky mix, escaped her home in Green Cove Springs, Florida, on December 15, sparking a search within the community and surrounding towns. Her owner, Brooke Comer, received a message from a neighbor with a photo of Athena outside the house while they were at church that day.
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Comer was frantic as her family rushed home to find Athena’s collar in the crate and no visible way she could have escaped. The mystery of her escape remains unsolved.
The following week was filled with unbelievable events for Comer, as neighbors and community members from nearby towns contacted her in response to her missing dog ads, providing footage or photos of Athena sightings. Based on the alerts Comer received, it appeared that Athena had traveled nearly 20 miles while she was missing.
This photo provided by Brooke Comer on Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, shows Athena, a 4-year-old German shepherd and husky mix, who returned home to her Florida family in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve 2024 by ringing the doorbell, ending a more than weeklong mass search among her community. (Brooke Comer via AP)
Despite responding quickly to each alert, Comer and her family were unable to locate Athena at any of the reported spots.
“She was the hide-and-seek all time grand champion,” Comer said. “With every sighting my heart jumped, and it honestly was excitement and then your heart’s crushed because we were always one step behind.”
The entire search was a terrifying and scary experience for Comer, who was concerned about the whereabouts and encounters of her already skittish dog. However, at 2:30 a.m. on Christmas Eve, she received a Ring video notification from her doorbell and heard her other dog barking.
“I was kind of like in a daze, and the dog was barking, and as soon as I heard that ring, I looked at my phone and you could see in the video it was Athena and she was jumping at the door, ringing the doorbell,” Comer said.
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Upon opening the door, Athena rushed inside to lick her sleeping son’s face, then grabbed her ball to play before eventually retiring to her cage for sleep.
Comer expressed gratitude for the community’s efforts in searching for Athena and planned to have her undergo a full examination, receive flea and tick treatments, and get a microchip.
