Earlier this month, during what is often considered the most joyful time of the year, Brooke Capo Comer and her family found themselves facing heartache instead of holiday cheer. Their beloved dog, Athena, had managed to slip away from home and disappear.
Despite their best efforts, including enlisting the help of their neighbors, the Comers couldn’t track Athena down. Days passed with sightings of a frightened and skittish Athena throughout the neighborhood, but no one could get close enough to bring her to safety. With Christmas quickly approaching, the family feared they would be spending the holiday without their cherished pet.
Then, in the early hours of Christmas Eve, something unexpected happened. At 2:30 a.m., the Comer family's doorbell rang, breaking the stillness of the night. Brooke rushed to the door, and to her amazement, there stood Athena in a surprise dog reunion.
“Since it was 2:30 AM, I tried to not wake up the kids, but they did wake up from the excitement,” Comer told Action News Jax. It wasn’t Christmas morning yet, but for the Comers, it felt as though they had already received the best gift they could have asked for.
With Athena now safely back home, the family’s spirits were lifted, and their hearts were healed. In a heartfelt message to her community, Comer expressed her gratitude: “Thank you so much for all the help. I can’t thank this community enough for how you guys came together for us and Athena! It truly melted my heart, and I am forever grateful!”
This heartwarming story is a beautiful reminder of the power of community and the joy that comes from a loved one’s return—just in time for the holidays.
