WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — After a nearly weeklong search, Athena found her way home to her Florida family in time for Christmas Eve and even rang the doorbell.
Athena, a 4-year-old German Shepherd and Husky mix, escaped her home in Green Cove Springs, Florida, on Dec. 15, prompting a community-wide search. Her owner, Brooke Comer, said her family was at church that day when a neighbor sent a picture of Athena outside the house.
Comer panicked and rushed home, only to find Athena’s collar in her crate and no apparent way she could have escaped. How Athena got out remains a mystery.
Over the next week, neighbors and community members from nearby towns joined the search, responding to missing dog ads and sharing photos or footage of potential sightings. Based on these reports, it appeared Athena had made a nearly 20-mile (32-kilometer) roundtrip while she was missing.
Each time Comer received an alert, she and her family would rush to the location within minutes but couldn’t find Athena.
“She was the hide-and-seek all-time grand champion,” Comer said. “With every sighting, my heart jumped, but it was crushing when we were always one step behind.”
The search was a nerve-wracking experience for Comer, who worried about the dangers her skittish dog might encounter. But at 2:30 a.m. on Christmas Eve, everything changed. Comer received a notification from her Ring doorbell camera, and her other dog started barking.
“I was in a daze, but when I heard the Ring notification, I checked my phone. The video showed Athena jumping at the door, ringing the doorbell,” Comer said.
When Comer opened the door, Athena bolted inside, immediately licking her son’s face as he lay half-asleep on the couch. She then grabbed her ball to play before settling into her cage to sleep.
Comer expressed immense gratitude for the neighbors and community who helped search for Athena. She plans to take Athena for a full exam, flea and tick treatments, and to have her microchipped to prevent future scares.