Dog Missing for Over a Week Returns Home and Rings Doorbell
After over a week of frantically searching, a Florida family got their Christmas wish when their missing dog returned home on Christmas Eve and rang the doorbell.
Athena, a four-year-old German Shepherd and Husky mix, somehow escaped her home on December 15th while Brooke Comer and her family where on their way to church. Comer received a message from her neighbor telling her Athena was outside so the family quickly rushed home but they only found Athena’s collar in the crate and no clues as to how she escaped the home.
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The family began searching for Athena and received tremendous support from neighbors and community members from nearby towns. People sent Comer photos of where they may have seen Athena and she would rush out to the spot within minutes of receiving an alert but could never find the missing dog.
“She was the hide-and-seek all time grand champion,” Comer told AP News. “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 family was incredibly worried the entire week until 2:30am on Christmas eve Comer got a Ring video notification. It was Athena outside the door!
“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.
Comer says that as soon as she opened the door Athena ran inside and licked one of her four kids’ face. She then immediately grabbed her ball to play and then went back to her crate to sleep.
Comer mapped out all of the places Athena was spotted when she was missing and it looks like she roughly made a 20 mile (32km) round trip. Comer says Athena will get a vet check as well as a microchip. She added that Athena hasn’t ever howled before but since returning home she hasn’t stopped whining. A relieved Comer said, “She’s definitely found her voice.”
