“Beware”: Caramel-Colored Mutt Gets Signs Alerting Pedestrians to His Angelic Behavior
“When I arrived at the print shop with the artwork, the staff looked at me and started laughing,” recalls the owner.
By Gabriele Tancredo Stella in Dogs
Anyone walking down the street where Atenna, the caramel-colored mutt, lives will come across a curious sign on her gate.
This happened because the pet got into some trouble, and her owner, Joicy Rigo, had to warn the neighborhood. As the saying goes: “If there’s a sign, there’s a story,” right?
What could Atenna have been up to, huh? Curious, we at Amo Meu Pet (our Brazilian website about pet news) decided to find out what led Joicy—who lives in São Gabriel da Palha, in the countryside of Espírito Santo—to put up the sign.“Beware of Atenna! Don’t be fooled by her friendly smile and her angelic face. SHE BITES!”
Joicy not only warned the neighborhood but also shared the story online, posting a hilarious photo of her pet under the sign. In the caption, she wrote:
“The owner of the fence, the street, and my heart forced me to warn people passing by about her territorial behavior—especially since Her Majesty does not allow a single living being to come near her property.”
If there's a sign, there's a story...
Joicy explained that she put up the sign after the postman went to the office where her mother works to deliver a letter addressed to their home—but couldn’t do it and had to take it to her workplace instead.
“He [the postman] told my mother he couldn’t deliver it because Atenna wouldn’t let him near the fence—and she even tore his uniform,” she explained.
In addition, Atenna was getting “stressed” whenever anyone passed by on the sidewalk.
This, combined with the incident with the postman, led Joicy’s mother to ask her to buy a “Beware of Angry Dog” sign and hang it on the gate.
“But I thought, that doesn’t suit Atenna. I’ll make a custom one that matches her personality. When I got to the print shop with the design, the attendant looked at me and burst out laughing,” she recalled.
When Joicy’s father arrived home with the sign in hand, he was against putting it up—and it took a lot of convincing from Joicy and Atenna to change his mind.
The Sign’s Impact
In addition to Atenna, the family has other pets, and Joicy created an Instagram profile to share their daily lives.
When she posted the photo on social media—and in an animal group she's part of—it went viral, racking up thousands of likes and funny comments.
“I can’t believe this little face is capable of that,” commented one internet user.
“The worst part is that I wouldn’t believe the sign and would probably pet her,” wrote another, laughing.
“Look at that territorial attitude—total power trip!” exclaimed a third.
Atenna’s Adoption
Joicy had just lost one of her puppies when she saw a post from an acquaintance with a photo of a stray dog—and decided to adopt her.
She made the decision without telling her parents, as they didn’t want any more dogs in the house.
Well, that changed once this caramel-colored cutie took over, hahaha.
“Today, Atenna is their darling—she even has more perks than I do, lol,” she said.
Atenna has a strong personality, but according to her owner, she’s still “a sweet dog.”
Atenna was Joicy’s first female dog and her companion during many difficult moments.
“The love I feel for her is hard to explain, but I get very emotional when I talk about her and how much she helped me get back on my feet,” she said.
“Atenna can sense when we’re not feeling well. She wakes us up every morning for coffee. Atenna is Atenna!”
To follow Atenna and her siblings on social media, click here.
