Dylan Summers, a Missouri resident’s dog, was injured by a motorist last year.
Athena, a pit bull, survived, but she lost a portion of her tail and one of her hind legs.
Dylan did not cut corners when it came to finding the best doctors to help his cat recover his health.
And then, just when Athena was getting back on her feet and still undergoing treatment, she vanished.
The owner searched the entire neighborhood, both physically and through social media, for the dog. But she was nowhere to be seen.
Dylan doubted that the frail and still unwell Athena could just flee the backyard, and thought that she had been kidnapped.
There were no results after a year of searching. There was no choice for the family but to accept and go on. Dylan also considered buying a new pet.
Before the New Year, the man was browsing shelter websites for animal catalogs when he came upon a familiar face.
And there was no mistake in his mind when he noticed the dog’s missing hind leg in another photo: this is his Athena!
Dylan dialed Gateway Pet Guardians, which was an hour away from his house in East St. Louis, and left an urgent message.
Alicia Vianello, the institution’s director, responded.
According to the woman, Athena was taken from her owners in December, along with numerous other animals, since they were uncaring about the animals and putting their lives and health at risk.
Alisha saw right away how different Athena was from the other dogs.
She had clearly undergone a major, expensive operation, which her present owners couldn’t afford.
After speaking with Dylan, all of the puzzle pieces fell into place. And the wife set up a meeting between the man and the missing pet right away.
Athena was reunited with her owner on New Year’s Eve.
The dog did not forget Dylan and was relieved to return home after all of her ordeals, where she was greeted with a bounty of goodies and tender hugs.
Dylan claims he still doesn’t believe what happened and considers Athena’s surprise reappearance a true New Year’s miracle.
