Athena, a 4-year-old German shepherd and husky mix, escaped her home in Green Cove Springs, Florida, on Dec. 15, prompting a search among the community and nearby towns for her. Her owner, Brooke Comer, said her family left for church that day and got a message from her neighbor with a picture of Athena outside the house.

A man who was planning to propose to his girlfriend in about a week died in a Christmas house fire after saving several family members, according to officials and news reports. The man, identified by relatives as Steven Weatherford Jr.