FL Dog Returns Home, Rings Doorbell After 9 Days Missing

CLAY COUNTY, FL — A Florida dog was reunited with her family on Christmas Eve when she came home and rang the doorbell after more than a week on the run.

Athena, a female German shepherd and husky mix, escaped from her Green Cove Springs home in Clay County on Dec. 15, prompting a community-wide search for the 4-year-old pooch.

Athena's owner, Brooke Comer, told The Associated Press her family left for church that day and learned Athena had somehow escaped her crate when she received a message from her neighbor with a picture of the god outside their house.

In the coming weeks, tips on Athena's whereabouts poured in on social media. Based on sightings of Athena, Comer told the AP that she likely made a nearly 20-mile round trip while she was missing.

“She was the hide-and-seek all-time grand champion,” Comer told The Associated Press. “With every sighting, my heart jumped, and it honestly was excitement and then your heart’s crushed because we were always one step behind.”

Nine days after her great escape, Athena found her way home in the early morning hours on Tuesday. Ring camera footage obtained by First Coast News captured her trotting up to her family's front door before jumping up and ringing the doorbell.

"She came in crying and whining, I was crying and whining, the kids were woken up. They were jumping and it was awesome," Comer told First Coast News. "She was happy to be home."