SCHERTZ, Texas – Even though it is early October, these are “dog days” at the sprawling property in Schertz where Cristina Western and Michael Ricioppo live with their two children.
The reference is not about days of oppressive heat, but about those filled with freedom and fun for an Alaskan Husky mix, which they adopted on a whim from the Schertz Animal Shelter.
“We weren’t really sure what we were going to find, and Athena was there,” Western said. “We just loved her temperament. She was super friendly.”
Western said the trip to the shelter that day was spontaneous, although her family had been looking to replace a pet who died.
Little did they know at the time, though, that the happy dog they saw had been through such troubling times.
Athena was one of more than 60 cats and dogs that Schertz police said had been abandoned in July.
KSAT 12 News was there as officers carried out the animals in crates from a home on Hillbrook Drive.
Police later arrested Maria Soliz, 61, and Ricardo Guajardo, 56, who officers said moved out and left the animals to fend for themselves.
“(The suspects) could’ve been in really rough circumstances themselves, but you do wish that people would reach out to local authorities and seek help,” Ricioppo said.
The couple wondered if Athena might have had some lasting effects from being abandoned.
However, Western said she is fitting in fine with her new family.
“We are so happy, so happy that we got her,” Western said. “I’m really lucky that I had that day off, and we happened to go to the shelter.”
It appears Athena is just as happy to have been found by them.
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