*(Este post es una traducción al inglés del post original, a petición de asociaciones inglesas en defensa del podenco español,
que se manifiestan este domingo en Londres y querían dar difusión a la historia de Atena
*(This post is an english translation of the original post, at the request on english associations which will manifest this sunday
in London in defense of spanish podenco and they wanted to publish the history of Atena)

In this story, as with all stories, there are angels and demons. The demons are the heartless individuals who threw Atena, a small podenco from a moving car. The two deformities in her front legs and the noticeable limp in another, add weight to the theory that this is what most likely happened to this poor dog who is barely over a year old. When these cruel individuals decided to throw the young dog out of their car in the middle of the busy A-7 near Silla, they could only assume that if the impact of the fall did not kill the dog, rolling into the non-stop, oncoming traffic would clearly prove fatal.

But Atena is much stronger than this awful act of evil and luckily for her she has angles on her side, the individuals responsible for her rescue. These are the people who will ensure her story has a happy ending. In the following video, I will tell you the story of Atena, her rescue and recovery.

Her angels are Michel Nebon, the tireless rescuer who had rescued Kempes and the six puppies stuck in a pipe. This time, he was invaluably assisted by Peter and Marisa who had noticed the injured dog raising its head from under a bridge on the A-7. They then contacted Michel and from this beginning, with patience and above all, a love for animals, Atena began her recovery.

Michel, has an active page on Facebook called ‘Michel Rescue Dogs’, where he describes all his rescues. On this occasion he spent ONE WEEK, a whole seven days, feeding Atena at the same place just off the hard shoulder of the highway. He used this feeding strategy so that the dog would remain where it was, not try to cross the road and thus be at risk from being hit by a car. Over this time, by not attempting to touch or handle the dog Michel slowly gained the dog’s trust and Atena had the time and space to gain confidence in Michel. And that’s what happened.

Atena’s rescuer did have to resort to one last ‘secret weapon’: a rescue cage with a remote control, a vital tool to help safely capture abandoned dogs. After putting food inside the cage, you wait until the dog enters. Via the remote, a signal is then sent for the cage door to close. Carrying out this operation safely is all a matter of patience. Michel waited for TWO HOURS in order to get the dog into the cage without causing her undue distress. As Michel’s dog rescue work is only his hobby or more accurately, his passion, those two hours were from his free time. Michel does all his rescue work in addition to his normal working hours.

Michel has also spent a small fortune of his own money in carrying out rescues. Atena is now at home with Michel and the Valenciano explains, “In just two days I’ve already spent 160 euros”. What with visits to the vet, anti-inflammatories and vitamins, it soon all adds up and the total cost is not trivial. Therefore, to help with rehabilitation and care costs, Michel is asking for donations.

The bank details for donations are:

IBAN ES79 3058/2015/81/2720004100
SWIFT / BIC Code CCRIES2AXXX
Title: Miguel Huerta Nebon
Paypal: michelnebon@hotmail.com

Atena is now ready to find her forever home with someone special, someone who will give her the happy and secure future she deserves. But for now, Atena is safe with Michel, dreaming of a brighter future and forgetting the heartless nightmare that brought them together.