When Marina Livery first met her dog, Athena, it was under the saddest of circumstances. One morning, late last year, she discovered a plastic bag near the front gate of her home in Brazil — and it contained three frightened, abandoned puppies.
“I was shocked,” Livery told The Dodo.
Athena was among them. Her tiny black body was small enough to fit in the palm of Livery’s hand.
Livery soon learned that several other neighbors had bags of puppies left on their doorsteps. There were 10 in all.
Local animal rescuers from Will PitBull were alerted to the situation. Realizing that the puppies were too young to be apart from their mother, they worked to track her down and reunite them under their care.
But this wouldn’t be the last time Livery would hold
Athena in her arms.
When the puppies were finally old enough to be adopted, Livery was among the first in line. She adopted Athena as her new companion, believing she knew what the dog would look like as an adult.
But Athena had a surprise in store.
Here’s a video showing Athena’s dramatic transformation from ages 6 days to 5 months:
“Little Athena has grown into a giant!” Livery said.
And a color-changing one at that.
“Watching Athena grow up has been a unique and rewarding experience,” Livery said. “She is very affectionate and super loving. She has a playful nature but is incredibly gentle.”
Thankfully, from their sad beginnings, all 10 of the abandoned puppies have been adopted into loving homes, and their mother has, too.
