Stray dogs often go unnoticed their entire lives. They are forgotten by their owners and by society, and many people turn a blind eye to this huge problem.
In 2023 alone, 3.2 million dogs entered shelters all across the United States, according to the Shelter Animals Counts. About a million of them are yet to find a new home.
This is a million dogs that have never managed to get attention from possible owners.
Athena decided she doesn’t want to be a part of this statistic, so she took the matter into her own paws.
She Was Found In A Bad Condition
In September 2020, construction workers in Southern Texas spotted a hungry, emaciated stray on the street.
They gave her some water but didn’t know how else to help her, as she was obviously in a terrible condition. So they called Be International, a local nonprofit organization that helps kids and dogs with special needs.
When the volunteers picked her up and took her to the vet, it turned out that Athena, as they’ve called her, is a 6-year-old German Shepherd mix. Not only was she abandoned, but she was also extremely sick.
“She had a harness that was way too small for her that was removed,” said Christie Kasko, founder of Be Intentional, to The Dodo. “She had every parasite in her system. She also has one of the worst cases of sarcoptic mange the vet has seen.”
This meant Athena had to stay at the veterinarian’s office for a while. Fortunately, she didn’t seem to mind it. All that was important to her was that she could get her daily dose of cuddles!
“She is an absolute doll at the vet hospital. They have fallen in love with her,” stated Christie.
Little Trick Master
It was in the hospital when Athena learned a little trick that seemed to make everyone pay attention to her.
She would simply hold her bowl up whenever someone would walk by. This seemed to do wonders! Everyone would stop by and give her a treat or a quick petting session she so desperately wanted.
“She gets lots of attention and plenty of food. But she has figured out that holding her bowl with her cute little face tends to get her more cuddles,” Kasko said.
What a smart girl!
Athena The Dreamer
Once she was healthy, the Sauver Des Chiens German Shepherd Dog Rescue took Athena in, determined to find her a new home.
An amazing woman already associated with the rescue, Patty Pulliam, started fostering her, but finding her a forever family turned out to be a more challenging task than initially thought.
Despite this, Athena’s story started spreading like wildfire throughout her social media profile.A heartbreaking picture of her holding up her food bowl, a habit she never let go of, became known worldwide.
She was so popular that she even got her own Facebook page, Athena The Dreamer.
And dreamer she was, as she kept on yearning for a place she would call her own.
Foster Fail
After a few months, however, people behind the Athena The Dreamer Facebook page posted an important update:
“All of us at Sauver Des Chiens are so happy to announce that Athena has been Foster Failed!!! She could not have a more loving family to care for her and as Patti is now our Training Coordinator, Athena will be part of our team!!! Congratulations.”
It turned out that Athena was in the right home all along.
Today, once abandoned Athena enjoys her life being a part of a large family with Patty’s kids and grandchildren.
She is still one of the many dog faces of Sauver Des Chiens and helps other GSDs and abandoned pets find their new homes.
Her days are spent running around, playing with family members, and living life like the goodest girl there is.
What a happy ending to her story!
We wish Patty and Athena many more years and playtimes together!
Vanja’s passion for writing started at an early age, which is why she pursued Journalism as her college degree. She can research any topic and find all the information before you bat an eye, which is a great thing for her job but a terrible one for her husband.
Even as a young child, she fell in love with everything fluffy – but dogs have a special place in her heart due to her childhood companion, a Corgie named Archie.
Motivated by her experiences and driven by a desire to give back to her four-legged companions, she spends her free time volunteering at a local dog shelter.