***Update 8/21/15***
The beautiful senior Mastiff who was discovered buried alive and weighted down by bags of gravel is finally going home.
Athena has found love with Jean-Pierre and Raymonde Delfosse, a couple who run the rescue SOS Dogues de Bordeaux. She has the rest of her life to roam free on the property, taking walks through the gardens and playing with the other animals before settling down for a long nap.
She has even received visits from the human and his pup who first found her all alone.
The 21-year-old man found guilty of abandoning her has since been charged with animal cruelty—he will face up to two years in prison in addition to over $33,000 in fines.
***Update 8/12/2015***
The beautiful French Mastiff named Athena, tragically found buried up to her neck in a Paris suburb, has decided that the best revenge is a life well lived.
A week after being saved by a passerby from certain death, Athena has made a full recovery.
Posted by Clinique Vétérinaire V24 on Saturday, August 8, 2015
“She’s very friendly, not aggressive at all,” said one staffer at the veterinary clinic that treated Athena’s wounds. “She’s a good, good dog. Really very nice.”
Posted by Clinique Vétérinaire V24 on Saturday, August 8, 2015
Athena has now been placed in France’s humane organization the SPA, where she will wait for her forever family.
We’ll keep you in the loop, folks.
***Original Story***
An elderly dog that was buried alive all the way up to its neck in France has sparked worldwide social media outrage.
Posted by Pedro Dinis on Sunday, August 2, 2015
The incident received attention after the pup’s rescuer posted pictures of the her situation and subsequent rescue on his public Facebook. He was walking his own dog when he came upon the dog. In his post, he wrote that “[he] was in right place at the time to be able to save a life… Only her head was visible and it was difficult to see given the amount of earth covering her.”
Hier lorsque que je promenais déesse avec une amie et alors que nous nous apprêtions a finir la promenade, nous dé…
Posted by Pedro Dinis on Sunday, August 2, 2015
He then called the authorities and began to dig the pup out. Once freed, she was taken to veterinary care and treated for injuries and dehydration.
The dog is believed to be a French Mastiff (or Dogue de Bordeaux), and rescuers pinpointed her age to be most likely over 10 years. A police source reported to AFP that the dog was surrounded by stones and her leash was attached to a bag of gravel to keep her from escaping.
Posted by Pedro Dinis on Sunday, August 2, 2015
According to Yahoo, police have taken her 21-year-old owner into custody. The man denied burying the dog and claimed she had run away. However, the investigation does not find this to be a plausible situation, especially since the dog has arthritis, making it “difficult to imagine her running away.”
The man faces animal cruelty charges, and could receive up to 2 years in prison or a fine up to over $32,000.
