In a remarkable Christmas Eve reunion that seems straight out of a holiday movie, a missing German Shepherd-Husky mix named Athena returned to her Florida home by ringing the family’s doorbell, ending a week of desperate searching and bringing joy to her worried family.
The saga began on December 15 when Athena vanished from her Green Cove Springs home, prompting the Comer family to launch an extensive search operation. Their efforts included distributing flyers both physically and digitally, reviewing countless hours of surveillance footage, and organizing community search parties that extended to neighboring Jacksonville and Saint Augustine.
The midnight return
Just when hope was beginning to fade, Athena made her dramatic return. “It was about 2:30 a.m. when she was ringing on the doorbell and pawing on the door. This was Christmas Eve morning. I woke up from it and saw her on the ring camera,” recounted Brooke Comer, Athena’s owner, to WJAX. The late-night homecoming captured on the family’s doorbell camera showed the clever canine using her paw to activate the doorbell.
Despite the late hour, the commotion of Athena’s return awakened the family’s four children, who had been devastated by their pet’s disappearance. “Since it was 2:30 AM, I tried to not wake up the kids, but they did wake up from the excitement,” Ms. Comer explained.
The joyful aftermath
Since her return, Athena has made her presence known in the most vocal way possible. “She has not stopped whining or howling since she’s come home. She’s definitely found her voice now,” Ms. Comer noted, describing the dog’s enthusiastic behavior following her reunion with the family.
The heartwarming holiday homecoming has not only brought relief to the Comer family but has also touched the hearts of community members who participated in the search efforts, creating a true Christmas miracle story for their Florida community.
The family now plans to have the dog microchipped and spayed to prevent further disappearances.