A Sad Ending To A Search For A Much-Loved Dog

The search for Morgan is over.

Helen Buzinkai thought her beloved boxer-pit bull mix had fled the scene of the Feb. fire that destroyed the family home on Hilltop Drive.

The family and volunteers from around Bayville searched for days in vain for the dog, a dog rescued from a horrific living situation in Georgia several years ago.

But today Morgan's body was found by fire inspectors, buried under debris at  the house.

"I wanted to let you know that Morgan has been found," she wrote on Facebook page "Finding Morgan.'" I wish I could report a happy reunion, but the inspectors at the house finally found her remains today. She apparently had ran back into the house during the fire."

Buzinkai apologized to the volunteers who searched the Sylvan Lakes and Woodland Road areas for days after the blaze.

"I am truly sorry that all of your time was eaten up searching for her, and chasing ghost sightings," she wrote. "But I appreciate all the work that everyone did to try and help bring her home. It brought so many people together and I never believed I had this much support. My family thanks all of you as well. We will be laying her to rest privately."

Morgan had been missing since the fire. Helen and her fiance Bill Schreiber had put her and another family dog in the fenced-in back yard to keep them as far away from the blaze as possible. But the fence had holes in it from Superstorm Sandy. Buzinkai thought the dog may had pushed through one of the holes.

The family started the Facebook page and offered a $500 reward for Morgan's return.