Safe in the loving arms of her new family: Athena the French mastiff who shocked the world after being found buried alive under a pile of dirt is enjoying life again
- Cuddly mastiff was found with her head poking out from dirt in August
- She had been tied to sack of gravel and left for dead 'by previous owner'
- But now has a loving new home with couple who run a dog rescue group
- They said: 'She's recovered well and is confident around people. It's love'
Curled up safe and sound, a cuddly French mastiff enjoys a loving hug with her new family.
It would be an unremarkable scene were it not for the barbaric circumstances in which Athena was found just a few months ago.
With just her traumatised face poking out of a mound of dirt, she had been buried alive while tied to a sack of gravel near Paris.
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Athena the French mastiff enjoys a cuddle from her new owners after she was found buried alive near Paris
Shocking: Pictures of French mastiff Athena buried alive under a pile of dirt sparked outrage on social media
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Pictures of Athena's ordeal in August shocked the world and has led to the arrest of her 21-year-old owner for animal cruelty.
But now she has been found a loving new home with French couple Jean-Pierre and Raymonde Delfosse who run the dog rescue group SOS Dogue de Bordeaux.
She is free to stroll through the garden and play with the family's other animals.
Free to roam: Athena has been found a loving new home with French couple Jean-Pierre and Raymonde Delfosse who run the dog rescue group SOS Dogue de Bordeaux
On the mend: The Delfosses say Athena has recovered well and is confident around people
'She is a lovely dog,' the couple told The Dodo. 'She has recovered well and is confident around people. It's love.'
The French mastiff was discovered in August by Pedro Dinis while he was walking his own dog on waste ground in Carrieres-sur-Seine, west of Paris.
Deeply upset by the dog's appalling condition, Mr Dinis posted pictures on Facebook saying: 'Only her head was visible and it was difficult to see given the amount of earth covering her.'
Athena was buried in the thick dirt, with a rope lead hanging from her neck that had been attached to a sack of gravel.
Unable to escape her tightly secured lead, the dog was deeply distressed and suffering from dehydration.
Left to die an agonising death: Athena was discovered in August by Pedro Dinis while he was walking his own dog Goddess on waste ground in Carrieres-sur-Seine, west of Paris
With the help of his own dog Goddess, Mr Dinis quickly dug the animal free and called emergency services
Deeply upset by the dog's appalling condition, Mr Dinis posted pictures on Facebook to try to track its owner
Mr Dinis called the emergency services and began to free the animal, carefully trying to ease the thick pile of dirt surrounding the dog.
Athena was taken to a veterinary clinic nearby for treatment.
Police traced the animal to its 21-year-old owner who was taken into custody. He denied burying the dog, saying that the animal had run away.
However, investigators said this was 'not very plausible'.
A source close to the investigation said: 'The dog is more than 10 years old and suffers from arthritis. It's difficult to imagine her running away.'
The owner has been charged with animal cruelty and faces up to two years in prison and fines of more than £20,000 when his case goes to court early next year.
Brutal: Athena was buried with a rope lead hanging from her neck that had been attached to a sack of gravel
Sick: Unable to escape her tightly secured lead, Athena was distressed and suffering from dehydration
Rescued: Athena is given some water before being taken to a veterinary clinic nearby for treatment
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