Family's search for their disappeared dog was turning terrifying—until they saw something unbelievable on doorbell cam
Losing a dog is a terrifying experience, and for one Florida family, the search for their missing pet stretched on for nine agonizing days. But just when they feared the worst, their dog found her way home, miraculously on Christmas Eve. The incident was captured on their doorbell camera, as reported by KENS 5. Athena, a 4-year-old German Shepherd and Husky cross had vanished on December 15, after somehow escaping from her home in Green Cove Springs. Her owner, Brooke Comer, was away at church when a neighbor sent her a picture of Athena outside their house. By the time Comer and her family rushed home, she was gone, as per CBS News.
"Her collar was in the crate, and there was no visible opening she could have gotten out from," Comer said. The family immediately launched a full-scale search, but Athena was nowhere to be found. Sightings trickled in from neighbors, security footage and social media posts, but every time Comer raced to the location, Athena had already disappeared. Comer said, "She was the hide-and-seek all-time grand champion. With every sighting, my heart jumped. And then your heart's crushed because we were always one step behind."
Comer and her family spent days chasing leads, worried about what their already skittish dog might be facing. But then, at 2:30 a.m. on Christmas Eve, Comer, half-asleep heard the family dog barking. Athena had somehow found her way back home. On top of that, she rang the doorbell herself. "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 ran to open the door. Athena bolted inside, ran straight to her son—who was half-asleep on the couch—and started licking his face.
Then, as if nothing had happened, she grabbed her ball to play before curling up in her crate and going back to sleep. Comer, overwhelmed by the support from the community throughout the search, said, "It gave so much hope." She also said that the next plan for Athena was a full check-up, flea and tick treatments, and a microchip to make sure Athena never disappeared again. While Athena miraculously found her way home, not every lost dog is as lucky. Sometimes, when a dog takes off running, catching them can feel impossible. However, one Rover sitter discovered a simple trick that made all the difference.
Shelby had just started watching a six-month-old puppy when the unexpected happened. She admitted, "I have just chased a dog that’s not even my dog." The moment she opened the garage door, the pup dashed outside and took off running. Then, in a flash, she remembered a TikTok tip she had seen before. She said, "Oh my god! I remembered how you were supposed to run away from them so they think it's a game." And so she started running in the opposite direction. And just like that, the puppy started following her. The trick worked perfectly. Shelby took to TikTok to thank the person who had originally shared the life-saving hack, saying, "So, thank you, I love you, and I could kiss you. You just saved my life."